Isolated Joker
by majik7
Summary: Heaven doesn't want him. The devils hate him on principle alone. The fallen are torn because of his relationship with one of their own. Issei Hyoudou is the Isolated Joker. His new assignment will present new possibilities, and new risks.
1. Chapter 1

**A pilot for a thing that's been in my files for a while. Only** **putting it on here now, because i've hit a roadblock on my other stories.**

The signal on the back of his right hand was pulsing, a red jesters hat with a heart surrounding it, five pairs of wings on the sides. She hadn't called him in months, so why now?

Issei walked out of his bedroom, down the hall and towards the front door of the apartment he lived in. Grabbing his shoes on the mat, Issei heard the foot steps from behind him.

"Where ya goin'?" A female voice, slurred by the abundance of alcohol she'd had today. He could see her from the corner of his eyes , it was only 1 in the afternoon, and she was already swaying, hardly able to stand.

"Gabriel's calling, I don't know why."

He tapped his foot on the ground, sliding his shoe on fully.

"Oh I shee, leavin' me for tha busty blonde huh? Well FUCK you too Isshei! Jus go an die in a fuckin' hole ya prick!"

Issei didn't say anything, he just took it and did his best to ignore her.

'She's drunk. She doesn't mean it.' He thought, listening to the last living normal person he cared about stomp off angrily.

Issei straightened himself out, thrusting his right hand out to the side, the fabric of reality bending.

An iridescent tear forming as his hand entered it. He felt the fabric of what he was looking for, and pulled it out.

A white robe, gold crosses marked on the shoulders with crimson accents along the seams.

He threw it over his head, as his vision was blocked, the stomping of feet returned and closed on his position quickly.

The second his head was through the hole, Issei was nearly pushed to the floor, the drunk woman slamming into his back.

her arms wrapped around his chest tightly, her inebriated state giving her more strength. It was still nowhere near enough to hurt him, but it was more than your average human woman.

"I'm shorry." She slurred.

Issei had come to really dislike alcohol these last few years, and the reason why was attached to him at the moment.

his left hand came up to rest on hers, pressing it tighter into his chest.

"I know. It's alright. I doubt i'll be gone long, she'll never admit it, but Gabriel doesn't seem to like me all that much." His voice soft and pained.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she regrets saving me in the first place."

The hands tightened around him with all the strength that she had. The womans head coming to rest on his shoulder from behind.

"She's a fuckin' idiot then."

Issei pulled himself away, and turned to face her.

Long black hair that almost had a blue hue to it in the right lighting, gray eyes that were oddly captivating. She was a few inches shorter than he was, and was 8 years older than him. She was just taller than your average Japanese woman.

"I'll make dinner when I get home."

Issei could see that she had started to tear up, but was holding it down pretty well in her state. She was always overly emotional when she'd been drinking. Which was every day she had off of work.

She wiped at her eyes and nodded.

"Alright Ise, see ya later."

In a flash of red and gold, he was gone. A cross flashing from his position.

When the light died down, Issei was standing in a large room, white and gold accents all around. It was confusing how there were no shadows in heaven, he supposed it was sort of magic that he'd never understand.

There was a large redwood table that could seat over 30 people in the center of the room, and on the other side, were 6 other people.

"You called for me master?" Issei said as he laid eyes on Gabriel.

As of 6 years ago, she owned him. It didn't matter if the angels never thought of it that way. With the rules as they were, along with his unique situation, he was no different than a slave with some flashy abilities.

If he ever tried to defy her, Heaven could and would deploy an armada of angels and exorcists against him.

Standing at 5'8 with curly blonde hair, a white orchid laying behind her left ear, and a diamond pendant across her forehead. She was the most beautiful woman of Heaven.

Gabriel, one of the four Great Seraphs.

The woman who had taken him into her service without his consent.

The ever present smile on her face only shifted a little once she laid her eyes on him.

"Ise. How many times do I have to ask that you just call me Gabriel?"

His face was neutral. Not hiding the fact that he didn't really want to be here. These people….For all they talked about loving all of the heavenly fathers creations, they didn't appear to give a fuck about what happened to him.

Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Sandalphon, Metatron, and the leader of Heaven Michael.

They were all plastic smiles, and fake pleasantries.

"When the lot of you finally admit that you hate me."

his statement was met by silence.

Of course they couldn't come out and say it. That would make them fall, angels weren't allowed to hate. But that didn't mean that they had to like that he was one of them.

"You know that we love all of humanity." Michael spoke up in his sisters place.

Issei just rolled his eyes.

"And technically, I was never fully human thanks to _god_ and the sacred gear given to me."

More silence.

"Maybe next time, you'll reincarnate someone who's a part of your faith, instead of just doing it to get the Red Dragon on your side."

5 sets of eyes widened and turned to Gabriel, who was shrinking back, trying to get out of the line of sight.

Issei chuckled humorlessly.

"My master didn't share that bit huh? Yea, she told me that I was only reincarnated because of Ddraig. Somehow she thought that saying she didn't do it to enslave me, but to gain the loyalty of the Red Dragon Emperor was better."

Issei walked over to the table, pulled out a chair that was made of the same red wood, and sat down. He wanted to get this business dealt with quickly.

"It's unusual for me to be called up here. What's changed?"

The angelic beings collected themselves quickly.

6 years, and other than the first year of his being 'angelized' as they called it, for his initial training, he'd only been called up to Heaven a total of 7 times.

And it was only when they needed him to do something that was a risk for any other angel. If there was a potential of falling from grace, he was the one the task was assigned to.

All due to the fact that Ddraig made it impossible for him to fall. He didn't understand how that worked, but it did. It had been proven over and over and over again.

Michael recovered and sat directly across from him. his green eyes meeting his unflinchingly.

"Issei, we have started the talks for a lasting peace treaty between the three powers."

Michael raised a hand and conjured up a manilla folder, with several documents inside. He opened it, revealing a series of pictures and profiles.

"About fuckin' time if you ask me. I'm the reclusive angel in Heaven, and even I've made a friend on each side."

He left out the fact that they were his _only_ friends.

Metatron rose an eyebrow. "You have friends?"

Issei raised his left hand, summoning his red gauntlet, and only his middle finger was extended.

"Bite me asswipe."

All but Gabriel and Michael stiffened from the offensive action. They were the only two used to how Issei acted. He held a grudge against his situation, but he would still listen to reason.

Metatron stepped forward, his hands shaking at his sides, ready to deal out some punishment.

"You…. _arrogant….insignificant…..brat."_ Metatron growled.

Issei snarled at the insult. His chair falling over as he stood, his hands slapping against the table.

"Insignificant?! Who the fuck do you think it was that stopped the vampires from starting a blood feud when the durandal girl killed one of them?! Who was the one that saved the pope from being assassinated?! Who was the one that brought up the fact that your _fucking_ bishop was killing kids to try and satisfy his obsession with Excaliber?! _I_ am anything but insignificant. If it weren't for me, who the fuck knows the state that Heaven would be in right now!"

The ones in front of him all flinched at each of the remarks.

Issei scoffed at them.

"Yea. It probably wouldn't be pleasant. And no matter what I do for you assholes, I'm regarded as a heretic, a disgrace, a black mark against all of Heaven…All because I wasn't a believer and was reincarnated against my will. I wonder how many would lose in faith in their leadership if they knew that little fact."

He took a deep breath and sat back down, focusing only on Michael.

"Just tell me what you want."

The blonde haired leader of Heaven cleared his throat and pushed the folder towards Issei.

"The town you live in is under the control of the Gremory and Sitri devils. You and your fallen friend will be envoys. A test of how our factions can get along. Both of you will be enrolled in Kuoh Academy starting next week. Other than trying to befriend the devils, nothing is required of you."

Issei picked up the folder, seeing it separated into two categories. It was all too apparent that one of the two groups would represent more of a problem than the other.

The Sitri group all had standard backgrounds, and had been recruited under Sona Sitri by a mutual agreement.

Rias Gremory on the other hand… had a potential powerhouse of a peerage. The problem was that they had all been through a traumatic experience that brought them to her.

"Wait just one _fucking_ minute…The Gremory girl has the other holy sword project survivor?"

The collective group all put their hands together for a silent prayer.

Once they were done, Michael nodded.

"Yes. Isaiah, or Yuuto Kiba as he's now known, was the other survivor. Rias Gremory had apparently been in the area with her brother when she stumbled upon him."

'After I dragged him out of there you mean.' Issei thought, but didn't voice it.

Flipping through the profiles, Issei couldn't believe the talent that she'd recruited.

"A Nekoshou. A fallen Cadres daughter. A Damphir that can stop time. And the holy sword projects last survivor. And then the king just happens to be related to the _one_ devil that I actually get along with, is of Bael descent and Lucifers little sister... I feel like you guys are intentionally setting me up to die."

Gabriel gasped and stepped forward. Her face at least _looked_ like she was offended by that remark.

"I would never do that to you Ise!"

Issei gave all 6 of them a glare.

"You _all_ know damn well what a dragons presence in that vicinity means."

Issei summoned up the boosted gear, its emerald gem shimmering in the light that had no source.

"Power attracts power. Putting me there means you are asking for trouble. You _all_ are putting me in a position to be tested and _killed._ As well as the the rest of them."

Issei wished the boosted gear away and glared at his _master._

"So…. _Master…_ Don't say that you'd never do that to me. You've done it before, and you just did again, even though you've all known and lived through the history of all the Boosted gears hosts."

Once more Gabriel shrunk back, unable to face her Joker anymore.

"I'm sorry Ise." She whispered, not quiet enough for him to miss.

He glanced at each of the 6 angels in front of him.

"Why don't you just tell me what it is actually going on. This reeks of ulterior motive."

Uriel stepped forward, his fiery orange hair flickering in the non-existent breeze. He set brown eyes upon Issei. Of all the Great Seraphs, he'd been the most up front, and the most neutral towards him.

"No other angel has a relationship with both a fallen and a devil. That alone would have put you in the best position for this. You also have the benefit of not being susceptible of falling from grace. Our goal is to solidify the ties between the three factions, even if it means you being placed into a devils peerage."

Issei laughed, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"So…Even Gabriel, the most forgiving and benevolent of all the angels is willing to just write me off, and toss me to the devils huh? Have you forgotten the fact that we're not even sure if angels _can_ be turned by the evil pieces?"

The hurt in his eyes was plain to see. Brown irises becoming increasingly more bloodshot.

"Well FUCK _all of you!_ I didn't ask for this! All that I asked for was that my parents be guided to a peaceful resting place. And if you can recall….It was _you_ that refused to wipe Aya's memories, and gave her that god damned dagger."

Not being able to stand their presence anymore, Issei left.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei sat out in the white halls of the 6th level of Heaven, unable to be around them anymore, trying his best not to fall apart. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing his pain anymore than he already had.

His frustration was near its limits though. The Seraphs had pushed him too far this time.

They were the ones that put him in this situation, but they had deemed it his fault that he wasn't accepted by the other angels.

And then they just wanted to brush him off to the devils? That was beyond fucked up!

If he'd only been a non christian before becoming an angel, that would have been easy enough to get around.

But his status as an unmarried, sexually active _angel_ had spread. And then the rest couldn't even be in the same room as him without some sort of condescending remark, or as close as an angel could come to one.

'I would've died happily, just knowing that my parents were being taken care of. But _NO!_ I just had to be reincarnated to continue this bullshit.'

The door beside him, where his meeting had been, opened to reveal his _master._

Gabriel looked down to her Joker, a sad smile on her beautiful face.

"Is it alright if I sit next to you Ise?"

The joker shrugged, not meeting her gaze.

"You're the king, my word doesn't mean shit against you."

Gabriel frowned at him. It would be an uphill battle for her from here.

But she did sit next to him, closer than he'd anticipated she'd ever want to be, given their history.

"I understand your frustration. At least….I think I do."

Issei was sitting with his arms laying across his knees that were pulled against his chest. His left fist clenched.

"How can you _possibly_ understand? You're not the one living it."

Again, Gabriel wanted to slide away from him.

Not because she didn't want to comfort him, or be near him. But because he was right. She'd done nearly nothing for him, except complicate matters. 6 years, and she hadn't bothered to get to know her own joker.

"What would you have me do?" Her voice quiet, nearly passing by him, even with his enhanced hearing.

" Wipe my memories, wipe _Ayas_ memories….Or better yet…Take that fucking dagger from her. Any of those would work."

His situation ran through her mind. The images making her cringe. The things that they had allowed to happen to him were inexcusable, but she wasn't the leader of Heaven. Even if she was his king, it wasn't her decision to intervene in the way he had asked.

"You know that's Michaels decision Ise."

"And what have you done to persuade him to do anything about it?"

When she turned to the other direction, he had his answer.

"I thought so."

There was silence between the two angels for a while, before Issei broke it, wanting to clear at least some of the thoughts he'd been harboring for a while.

" I want to love you, for saving me, for giving me the chance to at least see to Aya after losing her sister. The desire is there, only It's buried pretty deep. But I can't help but be absolutely pissed off at you at the same time."

He stood up and prepared a circle to take him back home. He turned towards his king once it was ready.

"Raynare, A fallen angel, has been better to me than any of you are. if that's not fucked up, I don't know what is."

Once her joker had teleported away, Gabriel could only focus on the chance that he was presenting to her.

'I've done nothing to deserve your forgiveness. But I will try.'

She would, even if only to try and right the wrongs that her decisions had brought.

'The road to hell is paved on good intentions.'

 **So here's the deal. Issei has a lingering resentment of the angels. While he's fairly neutral with the other factions as a whole, while liking a particular few individuals. Him and Gabriel will make up over time. Raynare will have a positive attitude with Issei, while being standoffish with the devils.**

 **This chapter was meant to be** **around 7K, but I want to re work some aspects before I put the rest of it out there. But this part is how I wanted it. So i'm giving it to you now.**

 **Also, I think I've figured out my issue with the other stories i've been stuck on. I just need to go back and rework them, so it'll probably be a week before any of the other stories get updated. But they are coming soon. Sins of the Father is going next.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Mature** **content** **ahead setting up the relationships in this first part. You have been warned. It's quick and not too descriptive, because I don't want to dwell on sexual things for too long yet. Just mentioning it so you can get a feeling of the state of things.**

 **Other things I want to say. Gabriel will be in a lot of the chapters in some way, up until the peace treaty, which I have vaguely mapped out. The devils will take a more active role in the story…at least some of them after this chapter.**

 **You will see some beings that you don't see much of in canon.**

Issei woke up the morning before starting at Kuoh Academy to a familiar smell and feeling.

If he had the same drinking habit as Aya, the musk surrounding him would have given the nights activities away. Then there was also the fact that he was still naked, and his limbs were being feebly restrained.

'She left me tied up again.'

Glancing to his right arm, Issei saw that the necktie was still attached to his wrist and the bedpost.

He couldn't see any of his other limbs, since the 25 year old police officer was passed out on top of him. Her legs curled to the left side of the bed.

Nor could he speak to wake her. The duct tape over his mouth made sure of that.

'That's going to hurt to peel off.'

He could be hit by a semi going 80 mph and be fine, but ripping off that human made adhesive still hurt like a bitch for some reason.

The sting on the right side of his chest told him that the daggers effects had worn off, so he could technically just tear his arms and legs free. But that would probably break the posts, and would piss Aya off to no end.

Something he'd rather avoid.

There was a flash of purple in the room, its source unable to be made due to his current predicament. Issei tried raising his head up enough to see who or what made the light without waking Aya up.

"Holy fuck…" A familiar female voice came from just beyond view.

"And I thought _I_ had a high libido, this place smells like you were at it nonstop for weeks."

Issei saw strands of black hair barely come into view, before the bed shifted from a new weight.

"gave it to her in both holes huh? Gotta say, she's kinkier than she looks."

Issei felt the light touch of a fingertip run up his bare thigh.

"What should I do with you, I wonder."

He felt two hands on his genitals, one starting to stroke his shaft, the other gently rolling his testicles.

'Fucking christ Ray! Are you trying to have a repeat of last year?'

Raynare had walked into a similar scene before, only Aya had been asleep beside him, and not on top of him. And she took advantage of his being tied to the bed by riding him for 40 minutes agonizingly slowly before her moan woke the human woman up. The bane of Issei's existence, the Sirens dagger, had nearly slice through her throat that morning.

Issei tried to think of things that would kill an erection as Raynare did her best to make him cum all over Aya's ass and back.

'Dead puppies, sour milk, Barbara Streisand, asparagus, Metatron, the twilight movies- oh that's so not fair!'

His thoughts were derailed when the hand stroking him abandoned its post and Raynare had decided to take it up a notch. Running her tongue from his base to tip before engulfing him in her mouth.

Issei decided to give up on his resistance as her head bobbed up and down at a quicker pace than she'd ever used before.

It didn't take long before he finished, Raynare moaned happily as she licked her lips in full view of the helpless angel. She always enjoyed getting him riled up and ready for round 2.

She came closer, inspecting his current state. Before smirking.

"This might hurt a bit." She said, as she leaned forward and went to rip the tape from his mouth.

Just before she tore it off of him, the woman laying curled up on his chest started to rapidly take in heavy salivated breaths.

Issei's eyes widened as he recognized what was about to happen, and weighed his immediate choices.

Let it happen.

or

Break the bedposts and get Aya to the bathroom as quick as possible.

Aya must have had more to drink then he realized, because his choice was soon taken away from him.

Her stomach clenched as her diaphragm pushed upwards, covering part of him and the bed in a chunky mix of beer, bile and chicken vomit.

Raynare had jumped back to the farthest end of the room she could. Her face contorted in disgust as the smell hit her.

They were both shocked and a grossed out when she didn't immediately wake up, instead trying to cuddle back up with the young man she puked all over.

"It would be funny, if it wasn't so gross." Raynare said, her voice distorted from her hand pinching her nose shut.

'Will you fucking help me already?!' Issei yelled out mentally.

Aya finally stirred from her alcohol induced slumber, groaning from the pounding in her head, and the burning in her throat thanks to the acidic fluid that had just passed through.

"Stinky." She mumbled, wiping her eyes.

'Yea, no shit.' Issei wished he could breathe through his mouth right now.

The human in the room looked around the room, and gave Raynare a curious look once she saw the leather clad fallen angel.

"Ray….you're here too early…You can have him later."

The fallen snickered at the remark.

"I'm pretty sure he won't be in the mood for at least a few days."

Aya glanced to her bed, and jumped up at what she saw.

Issei lying there, still tied up because she had passed out, and covered in puke.

"Oh Fuck Ise! I'm so sorry!"

With movements that had come from a lot of practice, she tore off the tape, and untied each limb in only a few seconds.

Issei rubbed his mouth with the hand _not_ covered in puke.

"Why does that hurt so much…" He grumbled.

The two girls watched as he got up from the bed and walked silently out of the room and towards the bathroom.

They heard the water start running before either of them moved.

"So…Finally took it up the ass huh?" Raynare teased, the naked woman on the bed didn't even bat an eye before answering.

"Nah, first time for that was last month. Couldn't sit without it throbbing for almost a week. Now, its like a craving I get every few days."

It was only thanks to their personal and professional experience that the two had no issue talking about a subject that a vast majority of todays society had written off as something taboo.

Raynare understood. Fallen angels lived off of what was Taboo. Anal sex, BDSM, anything that wasn't in the norm.

The fallen tiptoed over to the doorway, then turned to see Aya still looking half asleep on the bed.

"Are you going to get up and shower, or just lay in your own filth for the day?"

 **-LineBreak-**

The sun was directly over Kuoh Academy.

Rias and Sona were sitting in the office of the latter, going over the very little information that they'd been given about the two new admissions to their school. They'd gone over it multiple times already, but felt they could still pick something up that they hadn't before.

A name, a picture, the age that they'd say they were, and what faction they belonged to. There was a brief portion in the report that said how they'd come to be a part of their organizations.

That was it.

Nothing about the particular position they held, nothing to gauge how strong they were in case either of them became a threat. Being kept in the dark was not something either Heiress liked.

The first profile was the easier of the two to stomach.

Yuuma Amano - Real name, Raynare. Age 17, supposedly.

Rias had a hard time not thinking that this fallen angel wasn't related to her queen in some way, the visual similarities were too much. Same shade of hair and eyes. Same facial structure, cheek bones, orbital shape and the space between.

If this Raynare was related to Akeno, that could make this little test a bit more difficult then it already would be.

They were both second generation fallen angels. And Akeno hated her fallen side.

The other profile at least gave them other ways to gather information.

Issei Hyoudou, age 17. Born and raised in Kuoh. Unknown Sacred Gear user.

He didn't look like that spectacular. He wasn't ugly or anything, he just didn't stand out. Shaggy Brown hair and light brown eyes.

Under Gabriels command as a reincarnated angel. His rank and responsibilities were unknown.

It was him that Rias and Sona were concerned with being a problem.

His status as a _reincarnated_ angel made them curious, so they looked up the family name.

And only became more worried.

6 years ago, Issei Hyoudou had been one of two survivors of a supernatural fight gone wrong.

He, his parents, and two others went into the city. They somehow wandered into the field where 2 devils and an exorcist were fighting. One of the devils thought that the new arrivals were backup for the exorcist, and attacked.

After the parents had been taken care of, the devil turned to the oldest of the trio, and killed her too, severing the limbs from her body, head included. Leaving a preteen boy and a young woman.

Then the boy, who by a redacted source had been quite obviously ill, activated his sacred gear, killing one of the two devils.

Realizing the new people had only been human, and had no reason to be there, the other two fled. After which Gabriel arrived.

The other survivor was Aya Minami, who had been granted guardianship of the boy, after the estate of his parents had been settled, at only 19yrs old. There was no mention of the boy being injured, or Gabriel reincarnating him. That must have come after this report had been finalized.

The most unsettling thing to come of their search, was learning that they had an angel living somewhere in their territory this whole time, and never knew it.

"I don't like the way this is turning out Rias." Sona said from her student council presidents chair.

Rias crossed her legs and arms, giving a slight nod.

"Neither do I. But the three factions do need this. Another war will destroy all sides. There aren't enough people to sustain our races through too much more conflict."

Pushing her glasses back up onto her nose, Sona agreed.

"Yes. But why choose him of all angels? Why not someone who didn't have his poor history with our kind?"

Rias could only shake her head.

"I don't know. My brother said that this was a long time in the making. So I have a hard time believing that he was chosen at random."

There was something that they weren't getting from the small report that they were given.

The current Lucifer, Sirzechs Lucifer, Rias' older brother, had told her that they should be welcoming and open with these two. That they were said to be more open minded then most.

"We can only wait and see. We'll need to keep a close eye on them, to be safe."

"Agreed."

 **-LineBreak-**

"I don't think i'll ever be able to eat chicken noodle soup again." Raynare complained.

"Try being covered in it." Issei responded as he wiped his hand on the leg of his pants. He just couldn't shake the feeling that puke was still on him.

They were walking, hand in hand through a path that led directly through the park to what would soon be Issei's old school, after having picked up their uniforms from the shop that tailored them.

The male uniform was a little more flashy than his previous one. Black slacks, a white pinstriped shirt with a necktie that he'd refused to wear, and a black blazer with white accents.

The girls uniform was almost something you'd find in a cosplay section. A dangerously short magenta skirt that could flash the general populace with the right breeze. A tight fitting white pinstriped shirt that laid underneath a white accented black corset piece, which on Raynare, had pushed her breasts up to make them even _more_ pronounced than usual. The necktie was replaced by a black ribbon. She had forgone the optional shoulder piece.

Walking with her felt a little strange. Typically she was the same height as him. But for this assignment, she had to look the part.

Raynare had magically altered her early 20's appearance into that of what a 2nd year high school student should be. She was now an inch shorter than Aya, which meant that Issei had to look down to make eye contact. Instead of the 5'7 to his 5'10, she was now about 5'4.

Raynare kept her hair the same, flowing freely down to the small of her back. Nor had her violet eyes changed at all. Her breasts, while technically smaller, looked proportionally bigger.

"So, how'd you take the news?" He asked, still getting used to having to look down at her.

Raynare shrugged. "About as well as you'd expect."

Issei chuckled, he could only imagine the hell she'd wrought when the fallen leaders, probably Azazel, told her.

"How many rooms did you toss this time?"

"7."

Issei nodded with a small smile as he pictured the scene. Light weapons being slashed through furniture and file cabinets, just like when they wouldn't allow her the chance to take the high-class fallen promotion test. Apparently, having 8 wings doesn't automatically move you to the higher tier.

It was only thank to him that she'd progressed that far. She only had 2 wings when they met those years ago.

Her casual attitude left, and she made eye contact with with Issei.

"How did it go with the Seraphs?"

He turned forward, remembering how they were apparently hoping that he wouldn't be their problem for much longer.

"I tore into them pretty good. Gabriel especially. I actually feel a little bad about it this time. She seemed to care what happens to me for once."

"Well its about damn time she feel some remorse for kidnapping you."

Issei smiled towards her.

"It hasn't been all bad. It let me meet you."

It was her turn to turn away, but hers was out of embarrassment. She was always horrible at accepting honest compliments. It was the same whenever Issei praised her.

Issei could see that her cheeks held a pink tinge to them, her eyes darting back and forth, trying to come up with a way to vocalize how she felt.

"I could take it or leave it." She finally said. He could only smirk internally at the expectant remark. Issei decided to test how far she'd let it look like she didn't care for him.

"Ah, I see. It was rather presumptuous of me to think it was alright to hold your hand then."

He tried to release the grip, and take a step to create a little more room between them. And just as he thought, she wouldn't let him go.

He saw the glare from her.

"Don't you dare."

Her glare turned into an embarrassed look again.

"You know i'm bad with this stuff."

It was funny to Issei, that she could put on an act that would have most men eating out of the palm of her hand. But when faced with her own emotions, she was as stubborn and reluctant as they came.

They were almost out of the park, and directly on the other side, was the school that Issei needed to drop off his transfer paperwork.

"You still can't say it huh?"

Her response came in a nearly inaudible whisper.

"No."

His next question would be the best thing he'd been able to think of to get her thoughts of their relationship out of her.

"Should I return the ring then?"

She didn't appear to understand his statement at first. But when she did, she stopped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide in surprise.

"What?"

He feigned ignorance, and appeared as though this was just a normal conversation, as he continued on.

"I thought you'd like a princess cut. And I figured that anything less than 2 carats would be an insult. The radiant cut would have won, but I found this 3 carat princess cut diamond that just stood out, and I couldn't pass it up."

She stepped in front of him and grabbed onto his shoulder, trying desperately to keep up the aloof demeanor about this particular topic. She was failing.

"Issei….What are you saying?"

He had her undivided attention.

Even though his heart was racing from the admission he was giving her. He knew that without it, they'd just keep going around the same circle of late night meet ups, having sex until the early hours of the morning, then going back to their respective homes.

 _He_ needed to be the one to take the next step. This assignment only made his wish that much easier to obtain. And he was as sure of this as he had been about anything in his young life.

"But then I thought maybe that's not what you want. I know that some of your missions are of a more…..seductive…nature." He said, even though he knew that wasn't really the case anymore. Not since at least year and a half ago, where Azazel told him she refused to do those kinds of missions anymore, passively encouraging their relationship along.

He shrugged, trying to take mental photos of the myriad of emotions running all across her face.

"Being tied down to me would certainly hinder you moving up in rank-"

He was cut off when her right hand came up and slapped him across the face.

"Stop fucking with me Ise. Are you really asking me….?" She couldn't even finish the sentence.

Issei smiled, and stood in front of her, taking each of her hands in his. The slap not even effecting him.

"Three years Ray. That's how long we've been together. Through all of the fucked up parts of my life, you, have always been there. All I want is to know that i'll be waking with a smile knowing that I married my best friend. Someone that I'll love wholeheartedly through the undetermined amount of time that i'll live."

Issei had been expecting some sort of violent response, as per her usual inability to deal with the times he said how he felt about her.

What he hadn't been expecting, was for her to look like she was about to start crying.

He was about to apologize for making her upset. She never cried, even after some of the very fucked up things they'd seen together. For that matter, she hardly showed anything other than sarcasm.

"Yes."

Issei didn't have a logical thought to put into words. Was she really saying yes to his half serious proposal?

He meant every word he said. But it hadn't occurred to him that she'd say yes, just like that. He thought for sure that she'd say that he had to earn it.

Take her on dates, move in together. That sort of thing. But there was one thing he wanted from her before he would say those words in an official setting.

"Really?" He managed to croak out.

When Raynare nodded, he had to bring it up. And be prepared to run for his life.

Thrusting his right hand out into the same iridescent tear, Issei pulled out a small box, and opened it.

Inside lay the very thing that he'd been talking about.

A white gold band, a large 3 carat princess cut diamond in the center, with smaller ones laced around it.

He pulled it out as her left hand shook, her fingers spread apart so he could put it on her.

She'd never told him her ring size, which was a 7. It had never occurred to her that he would actually want to take their relationship this far. Fallen angels almost _never_ married, and angels weren't usually able to. Devils were the only ones of the three factions that ever did.

As the ring slid on her perfectly, she marveled at how it sparkled in the sunlight.

Raynare saw the look Issei was giving her, but that reluctant look didn't register in her mind. She was far too happy right now for anything else to matter.

"The minute you can say that you love me, to my face, we'll go to Penemue and get married."

The happy expression drained from her face. her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

'What an _asshole!'_

She felt like she'd been played. He knew that she was almost physically incapable of voicing her feelings. So this was just like a slap in the face.

A spear of light materialized in her hand almost unknowingly, and she thrust it out at him as he turned and ran.

"Get back here you Fucking Cunt!"

Issei took off down the end of the path, coming to the road that was across the street from his school. He peered over his shoulder, a smirk on his face that only infuriated the fallen angel even more.

"Just say it already Ray!"

"Fuck you Ise!" She yelled, taking the last opportunity she had to attack him for what he'd done, before they were in view of normal humans.

 **-LineBreak-**

Luckily for him, Raynare had calmed down enough by the time he walked out of his old school, that she hadn't attacked him on sight again.

She was far too occupied staring at the ring on her finger.

He had spent quite a bit on that ring, an amount that most people could call a yearly salary. But the jobs he'd done for Azazel and Odin had earned him quite the little bit of change.

Ray had asked him, that if he could afford this ring, why he and Aya lived in such a small place. She completely ignored the fact that he asked her to say that she loved him too.

It really only came down to the fact that they didn't need more room. A bigger place would mean more for him to clean, because Aya was horrible at housework. She usually ended up breaking more things then she cleaned.

As they walked back to his apartment, Issei made sure that she had really accepted his proposal.

Her answer? A punch to the chest that sent him nearly crashing into the nearby storefront.

He took that as a yes.

There was one more topic that he needed to bring up. Something that there was literally nothing he could do about. He did hate to break the pleasant atmosphere, but it needed to be said.

"Ray, what should I do about Aya?"

She just laughed at him, like he was asking a stupid question.

"You and I will live until someone either kills us, or we decide that we've had enough. She's human. As long as I get my time in with you, I don't mind things as they are. Minus her forgetting to untie you that is."

She looked up towards the sky, tapping her chin in thought.

"Although, I suppose it would be a good time for you to move out of that apartment. The three of us could get a house closer to our assignment."

Issei had to thank the general attitude towards relationships in the supernatural realm. It was rare to see a 1 to 1 ratio of male to female. The three factions were especially susceptible to polyamorous relationships. due to the great war, the old male dominated societies made the gender ratio fall heavily to one side, after the millions of deaths.

If all three sides were taken into account, it was estimated that women outnumbered men 5 to 1.

It made this decision so much easier.

The rest of the walk to his apartment was spent mostly in silence. Other than going over some minor details of their assignment to Kuoh Academy, Ray was happy to stare at her ring. And Issei thought about the problems that awaited him with this new school.

The last leg of the day was nothing special, except that Ray had decided to move in with him and Aya, awaiting the move into a house closer to the school.

At 3am, Just a few short hours before he would have to get up to be ready for his new school, his hand started pulsing again. Signaling Gabriels call.

Issei pried himself out from between the two ladies, not bothering with trying to clean the obvious scent that lingered around him. His chest _not_ throbbing for once after a tryst with Aya.

He pulled his robe out, and made his transportation to head up to Heaven.

He was half expecting to meet the same 6 people in the 6th Heaven, but was only met by his King. Gabriel.

She looked nervous for some reason, a far cry from the slight indifference she'd mostly given him over their time together.

"What can I do for you my king?" His voice neutral out of habit.

Gabriel winced. Something she'd been doing more and more when they were together. The smell emitting from him not helping. It was…. telling..

Stepping forward towards her Joker, Gabriel clasped her hands together, praying that what she was about to do was the right thing.

She came only a few steps in front if him.

"Ise. I know, that i've wronged you in many ways."

He scoffed.

"No kidding."

"I want to fix the relationship that we have. I _do_ love you. Yes, I took you from your human life for reasons that were not acceptable, and before your time was up. For that, along with how your home life has gone, I am sorry. I only hope that, in time, you can forgive me. I will do all in power to make this right."

She let her hands come to her chest, an attempt at showing how heartfelt her words were.

"But first….I need to be honest with you." She collected herself.

"You and Raynare are being sent to Kuoh Academy for a test at peace, that much is true. But….there's more."

She had his attention, judging by the way his posture turned stiff.

"The Seraphs have a request of you, something we weren't supposed to tell you for a few weeks yet. I apologize, but i'm not able to fully explain, as it would directly go against Michaels orders. All I can say on this topic is…..We ask that you interfere with the Phoenix."

She was working within loopholes here, to keep her mind clear, and her wings white.

her hands clenched against her overly large chest.

Issei repeating the words in his head over and over, to remember it for later, when he would write it down.

"The last is a more pressing and complicated matter. One that must not be spread….Not even to your Fiancee."

Issei glared at her when she said that.

Have they been spying on him? Wasn't it enough that they had him on a leash that he couldn't escape from, no matter how far he ran?

Apparently not.

"Am I not allowed any privacy or something? How did you know about that?"

Gabriel tilted her head in confusion. Like what he'd said had been common knowledge.

"Azazel called. He said that Raynare was only accepting missions of a more upstanding nature, due to the change in your relationship."

'Of _course_ she told Azazel.' He thought. He had completely forgotten to make it clear that he didn't want anyone else to know about their engagement yet. Issei didn't think she'd say anything that quickly though.

He had to accept the fact that this was his fault for not saying anything.

even though he _really_ didn't want her out on any seduction missions, he'd held back the jealousy and insecurity, because he knew that it was the way that female fallen moved up in rank the quickest. And that was something that was important to her. Until they'd made it official, he'd had no claim to ask her to stop her work.

Only after he'd placed the ring on her finger did he voice that. She had called him an idiot and said that those were volunteer missions only. And she hadn't taken one in over two years.

But how the fuck was he supposed to know that?

"I'm happy for you Ise." Gabriel interrupted his thoughts.

"Yea….Right."

She stepped towards him once more, his unbelieving tone was hurtful. She truly did want to fix things between them. It was unfortunate for her to be this late in getting on it.

"I deserve that, and I know that it'll take time to fix things.….What can I do, to prove it to you?"

If he were a lesser man, he'd have her do any sort of degrading or sexual things. She _is_ the most beautiful woman in heaven after all.

But he refused to lower himself to the level that he'd seen some devils stoop to. He also refused to give her an easy way out by just accepting her apology without some sort of action on her part.

"Get Michael to take that dagger away from Aya, and we're good."

To be honest, she wouldn't have needed it in the first place. Whatever she had wanted from him, he would have given. Up until he met Ray, she was all he really had. The angels had written him off, almost as soon as they found out he couldn't fall.

That dagger just made him feel like a slave. And the after effects hurt like hell.

As long as she untied him afterwards, he had no problem giving her the fantasy of being in complete control for a night.

"I can promise you that I will try." her words at least seemed honest.

"What was the pressing concern?"

Isse could tell it was weighing heavily on her mind. Something that had only happened when the pope had been nearly killed…and the Excalibur kids.

"1 of the excalibur fragments has been stolen."

His posture shifted into what looked like a half battle ready stance, a sign that her queens training had truly taken hold.

"it was taken from the protestant church in England, and has been cloaked, so we cannot track it."

"Fuck.."

That was where his old childhood friend was based near…If he remembered correctly. Not that he'd contacted her ever since she left Japan.

As much as she hated any words or actions that went against Heavens teachings, she couldn't disagree with the sentiment.

"Yes. it's quite serious. The blades wielder, along with 4 priests were killed in its theft."

She watched as her Joker tried to think of anyone that had a grudge large enough against the church with the means to pull of such a theft.

"That's part of the reason you and the fallen angel are being placed in Kuoh."

He looked at her with a curious expression. Silently asking, why Kuoh?

Then he thought about _who_ was there.

Rias Gremory, and Sona Sitri…The two of them were the little sisters of two devil kings.

If something happened to them…. the peace would fall apart.

And more than likely, the great war would be reignited. Not only dragging him into it. But Raynare too. Sairaorg, and as much as he hated to admit caring that for fucking asshole, Vali too.

And they would all be on opposing sides.

That could _not_ be allowed to happen.

Issei's eyes narrowed, while he was facing Gabriel, she could tell that the look wasn't meant for her.

"Leads?" His tone was one that she'd only heard once before.

"Kokabiel. He's been missing for over a week, according to Azazel. He was last seen in effingham, near the church that held the blade. It's just a hunch we have, there's no solid proof yet."

Issei started to laugh, that same one that he had just a few days ago. A humorless, almost despondent one.

"So you and the rest of the Seraphs _are_ setting me up to die!"

He continued to laugh as she felt an emotion that was unusual for her. Anger.

And if gone unchecked, it could cause her to fall.

The blood in her veins started to burn in an unfamiliar way.

"No!" Her outburst was louder than she'd intended, and made him stop and look at her.

"The last thing I want, is for you to be taken from _me_ … from _Heaven_." Issei took a second to think about her wording. But ultimately, cast it aside as unimportant.

Issei gave her a glare that was cold, and unbelieving. After everything she had been responsible for, he hardly believed that she wanted more than the fame of being the master of the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Then why isn't Dulio on this? He's the one that you all love. You only ask me to deal with things that risk an angel falling. Protection and retrieving Heavens property wouldn't fall in that category,"

"Dulio is in the Vatican, protecting the Blessing blade. Griselda is searching for clues as to where Kokabiel has gone. Michaels forces are spread across heaven and earth searching for clues."

Gabriel had finally gained enough courage to actually _touch_ her Joker. Something she'd never done.

"Please Ise. You have to believe that we aren't setting you up. With all of the current circumstances, you are the best option we have. Kokabiel is known for his desire to restart the great war. And there is nowhere better to do that than Kuoh."

Issei shrugged the hand off of his shoulder. Not caring in the least that Gabriel looked upset that he'd brushed her off.

" _best option… last chance…_ It's all the same. If you didn't need me for something that didn't risk the others, you'd never call me."

He took a few steps back, his gaze never leaving his kings.

Gabriel's face saddened. While true, his words were still painful to someone that was generally as caring as her.

"You're right. You haven't been treated as you should. And to many of the higher ranking angels, you are a specialized tool, to use when something could bring others to fall."

Her Jokers face only got more angry.

"But you're more than that to me. You are your own person. And should be treated with the same love and care as the rest. That's what i'm trying to establish."

Issei turned around, not wanting to face her anymore. He wanted to believe her. Call him Naive, or maybe it was the angels blood. He wanted to trust her. But time in her service had told him that this was a trap. A setup to get rid of him, whether by her design or not.

"Fine. You want _me_ to stick our necks out my neck to protect these devils…then _I_ will. If only for the reason that it means Ray and I can be together without as many issues. She will not be included unless absolutely necessary."

Once more he was making a circle to take him back home without making sure that she'd finished her talk with him. He had school to get ready for soon.

"As for this whole….Phoenix thing… I'll contact you once I figure out what that's about….To see if I can even do it."

When Issei landed back in bed, the sinking feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach, told him he wasn't going to like this assignment very much.

 **END!**

 **Get ready for some rocky starts, and turbulence in the current relationships in the next few chapters.**

 **Was the blowjob thing to soon in the story? I thought it was a good way to show how close the two were already.**

 **Their backstory will come later.**


	3. Chapter 3 CHP4 Preview

**We're going to fuck with canon quite a bit here. Because reasons. Such as cutting down on the time that each of the Canon members spend wallowing in self pity and depression.**

 **Let's answer some reviews. I'm Paraphrasing here**

 **A Reviewer said- Gabriel seems kind of one dimensional right now, submissive and not a leader. - I agree. That's intentional, and you will see other sides of her later. Just bare with it for now.**

 **A Reviewer said- Issei being asked to deal with Raiser is overused and cliche - Yup, sure is. I'm doing it differently in this one. And it will bring about some conflict.**

 **A reviewer said- Is Aya just a fuckbuddy? - Sort of….Not really. It's only hinted at. But she's kinda messed in the head. We'll go more in depth with her.**

 **A reviewer said- Please don't have Issei join a peerage. - Again a hinted at thing, but not specifically stated. The angels don't know what happens if an angel has the evil pieces used on them. He's staying an angel.**

 **A reviewer said- single pairings aren't DxD. - Uh….Duh.**

 **No names here, because I don't want people to feel like I'm calling them out or anything negative, because I appreciate any and all criticism. Just explaining. I promise this isn't just random things that pop into my head, there's a plan here.**

'Murder is wrong. Murder is wrong. Murder is wrong.' Issei chanted in his head.

They had just walked into class - holding hands mind you- and they hadn't even been able to get through their introductions before Raynare had been hit on and asked out multiple times.

It wasn't so much that Issei was jealous or insecure in their relationship. But the sheer obliviousness and stupidity the students were showing was staggering.

'Ddraig, I'm not invisible right now, am I?' He asked the dragon residing in his soul.

 ** _[No, partner. These young male humans are just unable to contain their hormonal desires around your mate. The females seem to be enamored as well.]_**

Issei sent a mental nod. he had pretty much thought the same thing. There weren't many beings, human or otherwise, that measured to Raynares beauty in his opinion.

Even if she wasn't already with him, Issei doubted that any of these guys stood a chance. There had been a long road of strange events that brought them to be as close as they were.

Scanning the room of what would be their classmates, Issei saw that the number of males was vastly lower than females. He would have thought that a bit strange, but it was well known that Kuoh Academy was a recent change from female only into a co-ed school.

 ** _[ By the way, Partner. Congratulations. I know that had been on your mind for quite some time.]_**

Issei had to hold in the smile. Ddraig was right, he had been thinking about it for a while.

His main struggle was thinking that she would see their age difference as too large. Issei had been able to calm himself on those days by remembering to live by some advice he'd been given. Love, Loyalty and Respect. If it doesn't work out after holding to those values…You probably don't want to be in that relationship anyways.

Issei felt a shiver want to run through him. His body suddenly felt….Dirty.

He looked over at the other students, to try and find the culprit.

Second column, third seat. Brown hair in pig tails laid over her shoulder, purple thick rimmed glasses, and strange hazel, almost yellow eyes. The girl was trailing her eyes and up and down his body. It was…unsettling, the way her eyes stopped and her pupils dilated at his pelvic region.

out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raynare pretending to be bashful at the compliments being heaped onto her, as she waved her hand….Wait…

Issei was holding her right hand still…..Her left hand was free…She wasn't still wearing the ring, was she? He had forgotten, yet again, to talk to her about sharing the state of their relationship with others. Particularly the human students.

"Wow, look at that rock!" He heard one of the girls yell out.

'My gut never lies. This assignment _is_ going to suck.'

Partially because the students were already seeming like they were easy to rile up. And the high school gossip game was something he detested.

Ray also had a knack for embarrassing and teasing him in public. This school would present hundreds of opportunities for that.

The girl that had mentioned the ring had grabbed onto Rays hand, checking out the absurdly large diamond ring.

Raynare just glanced between him and the ring, a content smile on her face.

"Yuuma, are you getting married?!" A girl with pink hair asked excitedly.

Issei was pulled closely to her side, as she wrapped herself around his arm.

"Yep. Ise and I are engaged!"

He had never seen a group of people shift their collective attention so quickly before.

'And now it's like I suddenly exist.'

They looked at him, either having forgotten he was there, or just seeing him for the first time.

"What?! You're marrying this guy?"

"That totally sucks!"

"She was taken before we even had a chance."

The male students in the room either deflated at the loss of a beauty they wanted to woo, or glared at him.

' Issei - 1. Random Kuoh Guys - 0.'

The girls on the other hand squeed, wanting to hear the story of how they came to be together. What made her want to marry him of all people, when she looked the way she did.

The girl with the pig tails and glasses gave a smirk, like she was saying 'I bet I know one of the things she likes about him.' That girl looked dangerous…Stay away at all costs.

"Yo. I'm Issei. Nice to meet all of you too." The last part was said sarcastically towards the guys in the room.

After the collective, 'Fuck You, you lucky bastard' look from the guys, class finally began.

It was just as boring as his other school had been.

As the teacher droned on, Issei felt a devil walking closer to his classroom. Whoever it was slowed down once they were in front of it, but knocked or came in. Their presence felt…irritated.

'Probably one of the Gremory peerage.' He concluded.

Nothing in the report given to him had said that the student council would be angry that he and Ray were here. The two that immediately came to mind were Akeno Himejima and Yuuto Kiba. At least he knew that one of them had a decent reason for not liking him. The other was a victim of coming from a line of purists. People believing in marrying into their own clan or other families of similar beliefs.

 ** _[Vritras host.]_** Issei rose an eyebrow at the thought that Ddraig passed along.

'That's one of Sitri's members then. Wonder what they're pissed about.'

Waiting for class to break for lunch, Issei figured that if it had to do with him or Ray, he'd find out sooner or later.

 **-LineBreak-**

"They're hormone driven lemmings…Those two especially." Issei grumbled as he and Raynare wandered around, looking for a good spot to eat lunch by themselves.

Ray nodded in agreement.

"Yea, they'll tone it down once they finally get laid….hopefully."

The two that they were talking about were a duo of boys in their class. Matsuda and Motohama. The bespectacled one had ranted about her three sizes a little too loudly to be only heard by his bald friend.

Said bald friend said that 'if only she were a few inches shorter, she'd be his perfect girl.'

"I can't imagine any girl even getting close enough to touch them." Issei grumbled. He understood that Raynare was beautiful. He understood the urge to take glances.

But the way that they openly ogled her and loudly commented on her appearance was making it hard not to pound them into the ground. When they started talking about grabbing her ass or chest….Ray had to physically restrain him.

They walked out onto the campus grounds, the early afternoon sun warming them through.

"As much as I wouldn't mind putting it off, should we look for some of the devils to eat with? Y'know, get a head start on this whole peace mission thing."

Issei had to do a double take at her. _She_ was suggesting they eat with devils?

She wouldn't associate with them if given another choice. She didn't hate them like some other fallen did, but she had a few encounters that just made avoiding them the better option. Issei had never bothered trying to persuade her otherwise after he saw the way she'd been treated by a small group of male devils they came across on a delivery trip to Vegas.

"Who are you? And what have you done with Ray?"

She swatted at his arm.

"Come on Ise. I have a vested interest in this mission. The better this whole thing goes, the easier our relationship will be accepted by others. And then less people trying to pry us apart."

She gave him a sly smirk that he knew a little too well.

"Besides, they're high school kids, with little to no world experience. I'm sure we can get a few laughs out of them."

Issei nodded sagely.

"Yup. You're Ray alright."

Issei turned his head towards the other side of the main building, where he could tell a few of the devils were gathered.

"I can feel some of the weaker ones fairly close by. Just…don't go too far. Last thing we need is getting accused of harassing them. We've got enough to deal with as it is."

She heard the last part, even if he tried to whisper it to himself, and it made her nervous.

The mood Issei had been in when he came back from his visit to heaven early that morning was one that she'd only seen twice. She wanted to ask about it. But if he wasn't coming out and saying what was bugging him, she knew that it was top level security stuff.

She was confident that he would tell her when or if she needed to know.

"Come on. Lets go tease some devils." She put on a smile and dragged him in the direction that she saw him looking.

Issei let himself be dragged through the campus, passing many students who just watched curiously. With the way that a good portion of the male student body acted, it was an unusual sight to see.

They walked through the first floor of the main building towards the back door. As they passed the elaborate pillar by one of the staircases, both he and Ray looked up and saw two girls, one with short black hair, and one with crimson red. They were just watching Ray drag Issei through the building.

They both saw the curious look the two high-class devils had, and counted it as a good sign that there was no hostility that they could feel.

When they came out of the other side of the building, they saw three people sitting at one of the tables, no one else seemed to use this side of the school.

The first was a shorter girl with long brown hair in pig tails that reached her hips. She had to be first year, her green eyes entirely focused on the blonde haired boy of the group. 'Ruruko Nimura.'

Issei noticed right away that this was the person he felt earlier. The one that Ddraig had declared as a host for one of the Prison Dragons Sacred Gears. Shaggy blonde hair, grey eyes, and his long sleeve uniformed shirt had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. That _had_ to be hot. 'Genshiro Saji.'

The last one was a girl with shoulder blade length snow white hair and glacial blue eyes. She radiated more power than the other two combined. 'That's gotta be Momo Hanakai.'

The trio turned to them once Ray had stepped out onto the grass. The white haired girl and the boy looked wary of them. The brunette looked a little scared.

Issei pulled himself together. he wanted this to go smoothly, just like Ray did. And making the devils here feel like he was anything other than open minded wouldn't help that.

"Yo. Mind if we sit with you?" Issei asked, with a friendly voice.

The blonde boy gave a sour look directly to Issei after seeing him holding the hand of his Fiancee.

"Shouldn't you be meeting with the kings first?" he asked tersely.

The white haired girl slapped lightly at his shoulder.

She opened her mouth to scold him, but Ray spoke up.

"Initially, we were supposed to meet all of you after school. But we felt the three of you away from the rest of the students, and figured we'd come say hi and eat with you."

Rays friendly voice and smile got the brunette to feel a little more at ease.

"I don't mind. Saji, Momo, do you?" The brunette asked her seniors.

Momo shook her head no, Saji just kept glaring at Issei.

After a few seconds of the staring contest, Issei turned to the other devils at the table.

"Did I do something to piss him off?"

The two girls glanced at him, and each other. Not sure how to explain what their friends problem was. Because it was stupid.

"Ah. I see." Ray said from beside him.

She let go of Issei's hand and walked forward to next to the younger girl. The male devils glare lessened, but was still somewhat in place.

Issei sighed, understanding what she was hinting at. Saji didn't care about their factions. He was just another guy that would have it out for him because he was the reason a hot girl wasn't available for him.

"Ray you really shouldn't have worn the ring to school."

Neither of them understood just _how_ it had spread throughout most of the school. But the engaged status of the two new students was the talk around campus already.

Again….Issei hated the high school gossip game.

"It was either that, or get hit on far more, because they didn't think I was in a relationship. And what would you do if there were even a few more coming on to me like those other two idiots?"

The thought lit a fire in his gut, and a crazed look came into his eyes.

"Flogging, Scalping, Removing their finger nails, Stoning." Issei tapped his chin as he thought more about it.

"So many ways I could punish the would be scoundrels. Drowning them in holy fire would be the most satisfying I think….Yes… _burn_ them for thinking they could touch you… Heh. Heh heh heh."

The three looked absolutely terrified at what he would do to _humans_ who tried to get close to the fallen girl.

"U-um….." Saji looked like he wanted to shrink away into the shadows as he pictured holy fire surrounding him. Not that he'd ever seen holy fire before.

But it was _holy._ and he was a _devil._ There was little doubt that it would be both painful and deadly.

"I'm kidding, i'm kidding." Issei said as he laughed at their expressions, as he sat down next to Ray.

"Sure, i'd be a little peeved. But I have no doubt that you would send them packing on your own. If not…then I must be a horrible judge of character. And we'd be in for whole other sort of talk."

There was a look of comprehension on the devils faces all at once. The one to voice it was Momo, the white haired one.

"So…You two _really are_ engaged?"

Instead of answering with words, Raynare lifted her left hand over to the two girls wiggling her fingers. The ring sparkling in the sunlight. She had a look on her face that just said _Yea….its big…its shiny…its fucking awesome. be jealous bitches._

"So pretty." The smaller brunette said, completely forgetting that these two held the tools for her utter destruction.

"Yea. She is." Issei said.

Ray dropped her hand, and flushed a deep red as she glared at Issei.

He only laughed at her response.

"Ise…" she growled warningly.

Momo and Ruruko looked like they had seen prince charming sweep cinderella off her feet. The sparkle in their eye was almost similar to Issei had seen Raphael do with light magic.

"Alright alright." He raised his hands in defense. The smile on his face was anything but apologetic though.

"I'll back off."

Momo looked between the angel and fallen curiously, forgetting about how nervous they had just made her and her two fellow devils.

"How is it possible for you two to be together, and not fall?"

Issei and Raynare had brought out two boxes with their lunch. He glanced up from his food to answer the girl.

"Honestly? Dumb luck."

"Your leaders don't care that you're together?" It was a pretty reasonable question, since peace hadn't been declared. And the few known inter racial couples that had existed, were torn apart one way or another.

Raynare shrugged. "Azazel's been encouraging it pretty much since we got together."

The three devils looked over to Issei, wanting to know how Heaven was taking it.

"Everyone up there basically leaves me to my own devices. I'm only called if shit hits the fan, or there's a mission that's out of the norm."

The swearing caught the three by surprise. They didn't think an angel could do that.

"You just swore." Ruruko muttered, sounding curious and confused.

"Hmm?" Issei had a mouthful of meat and veggies.

"Dude, you're throwing a wrench into almost everything we know about your race." Saji had at least let up on the glare.

"Which isn't saying much."

He sat back with his arms crossed, trying to make sense of what they were learning about their schools guests.

The two girls nodded together.

 **-LineBreak-**

Rias and Akeno were having lunch together as usual, in their clubroom. Only with one more addition. Sona Sitri.

Rias sat at her desk, Akeno at one of the couches, and Sona across from her.

"Akeno, how are you handling this so far?" Sona asked.

Akeno set her cup down carefully, a tell-tale sign of her current emotions.

"I will act as appropriate per my position." That was as good as either of them thought they'd get from the queen at the moment, knowing her history with fallen.

Rias set her boxed lunch down, giving Sona her attention.

"Sona. About the way the way we saw them earlier."

Sona nodded, knowing what she was talking about.

"Yes. They appear quite familiar with each other. That at least gives a bit of insight as to why they may have been chosen."

Akeno opened her eyes slightly, the violet irises so similar to Raynares, peering through to her king.

"I don't see how that's possible. A pure angel couldn't possibly be involved with a fallen romantically, if they wanted to remain pure that is."

Sona pushed her glasses back up onto her nose.

"Be that as it may. The fact remains that the fallen angel had declared them to be engaged. _And_ was seen by us personally leading him by hand throughout the school. until proven otherwise, we should assume that it's true."

Akeno seemed upset. But the specific reason was lost to both Rias and Sona. Was it because there was a full fledged fallen in their school? Was it the angel? A combination of both? Or maybe just a reminder of her past.

"Akeno." Rias said, to get the attention of her best friend and queen.

"I know this isn't going to be easy for you, and that you'll do your best to act accordingly. But, if you need to step out at any point you feel that you can't stay composed, please do."

Akeno smiled to her king. She was lucky to have come into such a thoughtful and forgiving family all those years ago.

"Thank you Rias. I know that this is important to everyone, and I'll do my best."

Rias returned the smile, while still feeling a little worried about how her queen and knight were going to handle the coming meeting.

 **-LineBreak-**

The lunch with between the five of them had been pretty pleasant. Once the three devils had calmed down enough to realize that they weren't in danger of being pierced by a light weapon that is.

Issei found it fucking hilarious that Momo and Ruruko were completely in love with Saji, and he was oblivious to it. He seemed to be obsessed with seducing his king.

'Good luck with that Boyo.'

Someone of her status, would undoubtedly have suitors a mile long. A reincarnated devil would be among the last that she would consider. But he did wish Saji luck, because his desire was honest. He had truly fallen for her. That was something Issei understood.

With the current climate between the three factions, it was almost unthinkable that he and Ray had gotten together. He counted himself lucky that she hadn't really cared about that.

He and Ray had been told that they would all meet in the ORC room, on the second floor of the old school building, after the last classes had let out.

Issei was just about to knock on the wooden double doors. They both knew that this meeting would be quite a bit different then the one at lunch.

There were two devils here that had grudges against either of their factions.

He and Ray had decided that they would deal with that as best they could. Offering any sort of explanation to a misunderstanding, or non-sanctioned action, to try and ease tensions.

"Ready?" He whispered to his Fiancee. That was a thought that would take some time.

Issei was dreading telling Aya about it, he'd only mentioned the move and Raynare moving in with them. They both knew that she wold react poorly, thinking that Raynare was taking him away from her. Something that, technically, wasn't even possible.

Raynare nodded and whispered back.

"Just like we talked about?"

"I hope this doesn't bite us in the ass."

Issei raised his hand, knuckles rapping against the hardwood.

 **knock knock knock.**

Their plan, could bring about a much needed boost in strength if things got as bad as Gabriel had hinted at. Or….It could ruin the peace that they had finally started to work towards.

It would all depend on how they handled this meeting.

"Enter." He heard a young woman call out. It was strong and confident.

Issei hadn't been able to explain _why_ this plan could be necessary. He was only able to say that it was in their best interest to get these two peerages trained up and ready, under the guise of learning about each other.

That was how Griselda had taught him.

By learning how she fought, he would be able to learn about her. Her ticks, her weaknesses, her strengths. A persons true self came out when they fought with everything they had. He and Raynare were more than enough to bring that out of these devils.

Hell….Either of them could do it single handedly if they really wanted.

He opened the door, and the first body he saw was the one that he would have to personally deal with. Yuuto Kiba, standing near the back left window of the room. A strategic position to keep a watchful eye on them.

The door opened fully, revealing both entire peerages, a total of 12 devils.

Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri just in front of the desk at the back. Their queens, Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra beside their kings.

While Rias smiled politely, the other three had no outward expressions. They could feel that Akeno was less than pleased by Raynares presence.

The room was of a victorian style, wood trim along with the same dark colored wood panelling along the walls. A coffee table sat in between two red couches filled with the other peerage members. A high table with two stools near the window along the left side of the room where Kiba had positioned himself.

The other side had two doors, one opened slightly, and it appeared that it was a bedroom. The other one was closed.

The right couch sat Koneko Toujou, who was munching on a very large bar of chocolate. Yura Tsubasa, her blue hair giving her identity away, and Tomoe Meguri, the girl with the second lowest magical presence in the room.

The couch on the left was filled with Saji, Momo and Ruruko, while Reya Kusaka stood behind Momo.

All in all, the Sitri members looked much calmer and more composed than Rias' group. That was expected.

Issei and Raynare had hoped that the three devils they spent the lunch hour with, would spread word to the others. It had at least seemed to effect the Sitri group….And possibly Koneko. But maybe she was just too into her candy to worry about them being in the room.

Issei let Raynare enter first, as was his custom, and shut the door behind them.

Rias and Sona stepped forward together from the edge of the desk.

"Hello Issei and Yuuma….Or should we call you Raynare while in private?" Rias spoke first. She had been the one to give entry to the two feather winged beings.

"Just Raynare. It's listed as my middle name in my student file." Her answer was a mix of polite and casual.

Rias nodded. "Very well. Please just call me Rias."

Rias looked over to Sona, who hadn't changed expression.

"I _am_ your student council president. While I understand that we are here for peace, please address me by title."

Issei and Raynare nodded. "Got it"

"Sona-Kaichou it is then."

There was an awkward silence that came over the group, not knowing just how to move on from here. They all knew each others names, even if only from the file given to each of them. But they weren't sure just _how_ they were supposed to go about this peace test other than introducing themselves.

Issei and Raynare had only gotten to know Saji Momo and Ruruko, outside of the info in their profiles. Starting a conversation with a stranger wasn't something that was common for either of them, other then being partnered with someone for a mission.

"I guess… I'll just start talking…" Issei said.

He gave a light bow.

"Like my profile said, I'm Issei Hyoudou, Gabriels reincarnated Joker. And the current Red Dragon Emperor."

When Issei raised himself, he saw the mix of looks he was receiving.

Rias and Sona both had wide eyes, unable to believe that _this_ portion of info had been left out of the portfolio. That was an important piece that had been missing!

The rest were wide eyed as well, but it was more of a shock and awe, like they were seeing someone that could kill them with just a thought.

It wasn't far off the mark, but it would take at least a _little_ effort.

"You're….The…Red Dragon Emperor?" It was, surprisingly, Ruruko that had stepped forward and asked.

Issei nodded, not understanding their confusion. Hadn't they been told that?

"And Gabriels _Joker?"_ It was Rias that time.

Another nod from Issei.

"Yea. Wasn't that in the file?"

The collective group but Ray answered in loud unison.

"NO!"

Ray felt like scratching at the back of her head, like her future husband did so often when he was presented with a situation he didn't know how to handle.

Issei on the other hand, narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. He and Ray had been given pretty much everything but blood type and favorite foods. Why were the devils not given the appropriate information on the envoys coming to their school?

And what was the proper course of action here?

Were they given less info on purpose? Or was it outdated files?

Issei wasn't feeling much other than a slight amount of hostility from Kiba. He'd expected to be feeling at least 5 times this based on his profile.

Akeno was about where he'd expected. But her hatred for fallen in general didn't seem to be a general distate, unless it was her father. Which…From what Issei had read and been told…was idiotic.

"Might I ask, what info you have on Ray then?" His voice had gone from polite to nearly emotioness.

Sona and Rias both picked up on it. They understood it to mean that he had expected them to all be on the same page.

"Yuuma Amano, or Raynare. Is a second generation fallen angel. That is about all we have. We were able to learn more about you Issei, through your family name then the files given to us."

Ray looked over at Issei, an uncertain expression on her face.

'What now?' He could tell she was asking him.

And honestly, all he could think of was to continue on. He didn't see a reason for this to really halt the plan they'd developed.

He _would_ bring it up to Gabriel though. After all the potential damage control had been dealt with. This didn't seem right, full disclosure seemed the better option to him since they all wanted peace.

"That's about all there is to know. Other than the fact that my mother died in a fight shortly after my birth, and my father is a researcher in the Grigori working with Azazel." Raynares voice was a little unsteady, a sign that she really hadn't been expecting this obstacle.

The only one to show a reaction to that information was Akeno, her stiff posture relaxing slightly. It was only for a moment, but Issei saw it, before she stiffened back up.

"And what information were you given on us?" Sona asked, as she crossed her arms.

"Everything from how you became a devil, to who you live with….No addresses or phone numbers though. Personal privacy and all that."

Raynare looked to Issei after giving her piece. He seemed to be lost in thought.

"Mother….Fucking….Opportunistic….Assholes…." His voice was gravely and powerful. A sign that Ddraig was awake and itching to make an appearance.

Raynare grabbed onto his hand quickly. She started tracing light circles on the back of it with her thumb.

"Ise Hun, deep breaths."

The devils had turned their attention to the one they'd deemed the higher threat from the beginning, Issei, As a large amount of holy power started to leak into the room.

'They set us up! He knew exactly what I would do! _oh…He_ is sooooo going to pay for this…'

Issei felt a familiar feeling in his left hand. A pulsing of energy. A sign that Ddraig had awoken.

 ** _[Partner. I understand this mission presents a new level of stress. But you need to keep control of your emotions. The others are starting to stir.]_**

Issei unconsciously returned the grip that Raynare offered, still lost in his own world.

'And if I decide to rip Azazel apart, they'll be waking up entirely. The least he could have done was _tell me!'_

 ** _[Agreed. Now calm yourself, and deal with your current situation.]_**

Issei shook his head, pulling himself back to the situation at hand.

Looking over to Ray, he saw the worried look she had.

"You good now?"

"Yea." He nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Opening his eyes, he realized that he had been releasing a good amount of his power, about 35%, and the devils were shrinking back. Partially because of the power, and also because his light brown eyes had started to glow an emerald green for a moment.

He reeled it in quickly, to ease off the pressure.

"Sorry about that. I don't like not having all the information for an assignment."

'Even if it is almost par for the course, with something like an infiltration mission.'

The ones on the couch looked at him skeptically, trying to go back to their previous positions. Rias and Sona had been backed up against the desk. Kiba and the queens had taken offensive positions, even as they backed up as well.

"And what was that about?" Sona asked, being the first to recompose herself.

"Who was it that put together the profiles given to you?" He asked, glancing back and forth between her and Rias.

"Serafall Leviathan. After all the leaders met."

He nodded. It made sense. She was the one in charge of foreign affairs, so it would fall into her territory for this. And there was little doubt that she would oversee this personally, due to her sisters involvement.

"We've been played by those who orchestrated this _test._ In the grand scheme of things…It doesn't mean much. I've been around Azazel enough times for him to get a read on how I approach things like this."

The rest had recovered and set themselves back into their positions.

"What do you mean?" Rias looked fairly cross, not liking the mention of them being manipulated.

Issei stared at Kiba intently. When the knight met his gaze he answered.

"The leaders knew, that _some of us_ , have a history….Whether we're all aware of it or not. And Azazel knew that I would bring it up on our first meeting. To clear the air between us."

Kiba held eye contact with Issei long after the angel had set his eyes back to Rias.

Raynare watched as comprehension set in.

The _rage_ that came was immeasurable. His hands started to shake. His breathing picked up in pace. His face started to redden. The power of his presence wasn't anything spectacular. But the anger….If Issei hadn't warned her beforehand, then she would have readied herself to strike the devil down.

Issei felt the change, and looked back to Kiba.

Looking at the guy, it was obvious he was beyond pissed.

"Yuuto?" Rias turned to face her knight, feeling his anger had yet to plateau or recede at all.

Kiba couldn't answer, only focussed on the angel in front of him.

"Good. At least one other person is as pissed off as I am."

The group of devils looked at Issei, like he had grown a second head.

He was glad that Kiba was looking like he wished a death of a thousand cuts on Issei?

"And why would you be upset about it? _your_ people allowed it to happen in the first place." Kiba growled out.

The group wasn't sure how to feel about the normally kind and composed knight being in this murderous state.

Issei didn't look fazed in the slightest. Almost as if he expected it.

"When you're calm enough for the full story, I'll tell it. That's something that should probably be left for another day though."

None of the devils could react fast enough, not even the other knight in the room, as they weren't expecting Kibas reaction.

The male knight flashed forward towards Issei, forming a double edged sword of dark energy in his hands.

Kiba reappeared, his sword centimeters away from Issei's neck.

The dark sword started to glow as the devils felt Issei bring his holy power forward.

"KIBA!" Rias yelled out to him. Only a few minutes into their meeting, and the boy she'd saved was attacking their guest. She was angry and disappointed, he knew better than to act this way.

Issei's power rose, until the sword fizzled out of existence, the focused holy energy too much for it to handle.

Kiba jumped back a few feet, dropping the handle of his sword, only to form another.

"Tell me what part you played in that _hell._ Or else." The threat was clear. Talk or die. Only Kiba didn't know _how powerful_ his would be opponent was.

Rias stepped towards Kiba, determined to stop this nonsense.

"Stand down this instant Yuuto!"

Issei raised a hand towards Rias.

"No, it's alright."

He gave Kiba his attention once more.

"Here's the cliffnotes. Heaven never sanctioned that operation. That was entirely a grab for power by the church. Or more accurately, one member of the church who happened to be in a position of power. I ended up getting chewed out for 6 hours, and spent a week confined in the second heavens jail after I told them I pulled kids out of there, killed 18 church members and an angel."

Kiba looked at the angel incredulously, as did the rest of the group except Raynare.

She knew the story. Issei gave her a detailed account about it after she asked about the siren daggers mark on his chest.

"Y-you? I thought one of the others knocked out part of the wall using the gas lines.."

Issei shook his head, raising his left arm, palm up to show a quarter sized scar.

"Sorry man, that was me. I got shot a few times going in there, this is the only one that scarred."

He lowered the arm.

"Look Kiba, I'll tell you my entire side of the story. Just take the time to get a clear head first alright? We'll sit down and talk about it in a day or two."

His mind had been thrown through a loop, and could only nod dumbly, before walking over to the couch and plopping down. He would be staring out of the window for the rest of the meeting.

To know that an angel had been there, had listened to their pleas…It changed a lot, and he wanted that explanation.

"What was that about?" Saji was looking between Kiba and Issei curiously, not getting what had set the knight off.

"No offense Saji, but that's a very personal subject." Issei answered.

"If we could return to the previous topic." Sona shifted the conversation back on track. She would ask about the 'killed an angel' part later.

"Why would you two be given more information than us deliberately?"

"Because if Kiba had somehow learned how we'd met before, he might have been hostile in a public setting. The leaders probably wanted us to all be in the same room before things could take a turn for the worst."

Sona seemed to accept that answer, after having seen how Rias' servant reacted.

Rias gave Issei and Raynare a surprise when she stepped forward and bowed to the two of them.

"I am sincerely sorry for how this meeting has started. I hope it won't effect things going forward."

Both Raynare and Issei waved it off, like it was nothing.

"No worries. We came prepared for something like that to happen." Ray said easily.

"Yea. Not the first time someones tried to slice my head off."

There was the start of another awkward silence. None gathered in the room really sure where to take things from here.

The devils were curious about their guests, but not sure how to approach the questions they wanted to ask.

Most of it was about the rumors regarding the relationship between the angel and the fallen. Saji, Momo and Ruruko hadn't really gotten any clear answers to the specifics of their time together.

Issei remembered something that had come up during lunch.

"Oh right. Is it cool if I show my wings? Momo and Ruruko asked to see them during lunch, but i'm not great at concealing them at a moments notice. So I promised I would once we all met up."

That caught the groups attention. Sona looked at her two members curiously. The two girls just blushed a bit and looked away. She understood the curiosity, but she hadn't been aware of that being brought up during lunch. They looked ashamed that they'd forgotten to tell their master that bit.

Momo, Ruruko and surprisingly, Rias looked eager to see them. Koneko even stopped eating her candy to look for the kings response.

"I'm rather curious myself. If you don't mind, Issei, then go right ahead."

Issei felt the pulsing in his left arm again, telling him Ddraig wanted something.

'Whats up Ddraig?'

 ** _[Are you sure about revealing this much to them partner? It takes away any element of surprise, should things not work out.]_**

Issei rolled his eyes, which a few of the devils saw.

'Azazel already knows, the Seraphs know. Chances are that the devil kings know too. Besides, if I can make this peace happen faster, I will. peace means less problems…hopefully.'

 ** _[If you're certain. I won't argue.]_**

Ddraig receded back into the boosted gear, no doubt returning to his beloved nap.

Issei rolled his shoulders, and the room echoed the sound of multiple pairs of wings unfolding.

 **fwoosh**

5 pairs of wings sprung from his back, stretching to their full and surprising length. A halo above his head of luminescent light.

The first, third and fifth pair were a crimson red, with soft looking feathers extending off them. The two sets in between were the purest white that any of the devils had ever seen.

His wings were longer than the average angels, each one taller than Issei was. The nearly 16 foot wingspan gave Issei an intimidating look. Like he was a creature _much_ bigger then them.

"What the fuck?!" Saji looked at the angel, his mouth hanging open.

Issei and Raynare laughed at the blonde devil.

"Yea, i'm used to that too." He chuckled.

Rias was upon him almost instantly, looking at the wings closely. Her hand raised slowly, but stopped once it was a few inches from touching the feathers.

"Is it..okay?"

Looking over his shoulder, Issei nodded to the redhead.

"You can touch…..But no tugging!" He hated that feeling almost as much as when the duct tape had been ripped off his mouth.

Her hand ghosted over the top left wing, and Issei had to resist the urge to shudder. It felt strange. Not bad, just…strange. Mostly because his wings were seldom out in the open, so the nerves were a little sensitive.

And only Ray and Aya had ever felt them before.

Ruruko and Momo were the next to walk behind him and touching one of his wings, marveling at how soft they were compared to the leathery wings of a devil.

Sona stood in front of Issei, trying to appear like she wasn't curious about how they felt as well.

"They sent an angel on par with some of the strongest of the three factions to a school?" her eyes flickered between his eyes and the wings sticking out of his back.

"Look at it this way. If things _really_ got bad, it would be 1 angel, against 1 fallen, and 12 devils. Or 13 devils if Gasper wasn't sealed. Sounds pretty fair to me."

She didn't like the power difference between him, and the Kuoh devils. That raised the question….How many did Raynare have?

"And that one angel just happens to also wield a longinus capable of killing gods."

Issei shrugged.

"I don't really bring Ddraig out unless I need to. Less chance of drawing attention to myself that way."

Sona turned to Raynare, who hadn't left Issei's side this entire time.

"Do you mind me asking how many wings you have?"

The fallen contemplated not saying anything. But again, her and Issei had talked in depth about what they would and wouldn't share. She gave Issei a glance, who smiled and nodded.

She sighed and said. "8."

Sona nodded, accepting it once more, that if things did turn for the worst, that the other two factions would want someone who wouldn't just be wiped out without a fight. But still…There was an angel of a leader class, and a fallen not far behind that were standing in close proximity to them.

"Hey Issei." Issei looked over his shoulder again, and saw the curious face of Tomoe looking at him.

"Why are some of your wings red instead of white?"

Issei tapped his chin. He had never been given a good answer for that. Part of it was because only Gabriel and Michael had seen them. And he didn't spend any time near the researchers. He didn't feel like getting poked and prodded to be a guinea pig on their tests to test how keep angels from falling.

"Something to do with having the boosted gear. Other than that, I don't really know."

The girl nodded and went back to stroking the feathers beside Yura.

The only ones not touching his wings were Sona, her queen Tsubaki, Akeno and Koneko. Although Koneko looked curious too.

Kiba hadn't moved, and Saji took one stroke before feeling his curiosity satisfied. It was also weird for him to feeling up another dude.

"Ugh…I can't take it anymore." Ray groaned out of nowhere before she engulfed herself in a purple light.

When it died down, she was back in her true form. Issei could now see that she had indeed only reduced her breasts a small amount, having seen a quick comparison.

As Saji's eyes flew open to the size of dinner plates, and a nosebleed of epic proportions started, Issei realized that she hadn't altered her normal apparel. Sajis skin started to pale from the blood loss.

Raynare stood in her knee high leather boots, with the black stockings reaching up to mid thigh. That was the more concealing than any of the other pieces.

Other than the elbow black gloves and shoulder pieces, Raynare was in a rather skimpy leather bikini. It didn't leave much to the imagination.

As much as Issei appreciated seeing her like that, the present company made it not all that appropriate.

"Ray…..we talked about this…" Issei groaned.

Raynare made Sajis condition worse as she stretched her arms behind her back, making her large breasts bounce upwards from the movement. She gave a satisfied sigh as she felt the limbs loosen up, free of their confinement.

She turned back to him with a pout.

"But that uniform is so smothering."

Issei turned his head to look away. Her pouting was never something he'd been able to resist.

'That face could be weaponized…I swear.'

 ** _[And you want to marry that face.]_**

'Your damn right I do! Shut up and go back to bed.'

It was worse than when he told Tosca that he couldn't watch over her anymore, that someone else would.

There was a quiet voice with noticeable malice in it that carried through to his and Rays ears.

"Oh my. What an unsightly creature."

It was Akeno.

Issei didn't even turn his head before grabbing on to Rays hand, wanting to stop any reaction that she might have.

her hand was clenched, and Issei turned back to see Akeno walking towards the door. Ray was glaring at the half fallen, Rias also watching Akeno walk out.

No one else had apparently heard the remark. Thankfully. but they watched Akeno walk out with curious eyes.

Once the door closed behind her, Issei wished his wings away, causing a few to groan in disappointment.

Issei pointed at the couch while looking at Ray. She huffed with her arms crossed under her barely covered chest. Saji stared at her as she shuffled over to the couch, and sat down next to Koneko.

Issei turned to Rias, who was about to walk out of the room and lightly grabbed her by the shoulder.

She turned quickly.

"Please. Let me?" He asked quietly.

She rose an eyebrow at the angel.

"She's a part of my peerage. Her actions are mine to reward or punish."

Issei nodded. even though he didn't like the way she had worded that statement.

'Slavery.' Was the immediate thought that was synonymous with that way of thinking. It reminded him too much of his situation with heaven and the dagger.

But he'd heard that a good portion of devils weren't all that bad to their peerage. There were some bad eggs still…Mostly the older devils. But progress was a slow thing. Especially in the supernatural world.

"I know. But I truly believe that I can offer an insightful perspective. You read my file right? How it was that Gabriel found me?"

Rias had to think about what she knew. And other than the report about the fight that they'd walked into, nothing about Gabriel had been mentioned.

"I know a bit. More so from our additional research then the file. A devil killed your parents."

"Then it wouldn't be hard to see me hating all devils correct? 5 minutes, that's all i'm asking for."

Rias bit her thumb as she thought about it. This was her best friend that they were talking about. She didn't want any harm to come to her, physical or emotional.

But Issei was right, he had been put through a scenario that should have left him hating all devils. And yet he didn't.

"5 Minutes, and then i'm checking on you two."

"Thanks."

Issei walked towards the door to follow the queen, he turned to Ray just before exiting.

"Play nice Ray."

She stuck her tongue out childishly at him.

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei felt Akeno walk to the back of the building, just as he rounded the corner, he heard a distant slap, and two girls laughing uncontrollably from inside. No doubt Raynare had done just the opposite of what he'd asked.

The back of the building came to the forest, keeping most of the school grounds from view of any direction but the front gate.

And the afternoon sun was just above the tree line now, giving the path into the forest a nice glow.

Sitting with her knees against her chest, Akeno had her back to the old school building. She looked lost in her own world, and didn't notice his approach.

"Do you hate me too Akeno?" he asked once he was a good dozen paces from her.

She snapped her head up to look at him.

Those violet eyes, so much like Rays. So similar to many of the fallen were boring into him.

"You haven't done anything for me to hate you." She said, wiping at the nonexistent tears. They wouldn't have been tears of sadness, more of anger.

"Then why hate Raynare?" Issei asked her bluntly.

"It wouldn't bother me too much, i'm used to people not liking me."

Her glare turned a little curious.

Issei sat beside her, his back against the wall, legs stretched out.

"Rias let me talk to you alone for five minutes. So i'd like to ask a favor."

She gestured with her hand for him to continue.

"You might not like what I have to say. But I promise that I mean well. Ray and I came here knowing full well that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Especially regarding me with Kiba, and you with Raynare. I just ask the same of you as I did him. Take the time to soak in what I say with a clear mind. Be objective."

"How can I agree when I don't know what you're going to say?" She asked tersely.

"Do it knowing that I want this peace to happen. That I need it to happen. Because as much as it seems that Rias has been your saving grace, pardon the phrasing. Raynare was mine. I _need_ her. And a war ruins that chance."

"Then you only have about 3 minutes and 10 seconds left."

Issei looked out to the forest where the sun was setting, thinking of the last time he was sitting like this with a girl. Last time, the girl was the same age as him. She was upset, just like Akeno, but it was for what he _wouldn't_ say. Rather than what he had.

"You me and Ray, we all have something in common. Loss of a parent, both in my case. Wrong place at the wrong time for my parents. Rays was because her mother developing research on if the fallen could reincarnate like the devils. Your mother because her family didn't like who she married."

Akeno sulked more at the mention of what made her mother lose her life.

"In my opinion, you acting this way is a slap in the face to the choice your mother made."

Akeno gasped and gave Issei a glare, and he would swear until the day he died that he saw lightning in her eyes.

Issei continued, even as his fingers started to tingle from the electrical current surrounding the two of them.

"Your father and I, we've talked a few times."

The feeling of electricity in the area amplified.

'Damn girl, a little practice, and some time, and you'd be stronger then Ray easily.'

"Do you know what he left to do that day?"

Issei looked directly into those bloodshot violet eyes.

It took almost a full minute before she answered.

They'd planned ahead for a reason. He wouldn't that long.

"No. He left for some sort of mission for Azazel." The words were like poison in her mouth.

"The ones that killed Rays mom. Azazel found them, and wanted your father to handle it. A group of devils that were attached to a some necromancers."

Issei tried to hide the fact that he was clenching his hands to try and get feeling back in them.

"So Baraqiel leaves to do just that. And then instead of believing that love can cross borders, you mothers family sends assassins to kill him and bring her back. Only they find her guarding you….A child they had no knowledge of. Being that they assumed that Baraqiel had brainwashed your mother, they thought it best to kill you first."

Akeno had started sobbing into her knees as his story went on.

"I've seen pictures that he carries with him of you and Shuri. And to be honest, I

think it was more likely that she brainwashed him then the other way around. She must have been something special to get a fallen angel that was thousands of years old to go monogamous."

Issei looked to the hunched over young woman crying her eyes out. Not thinking before he spoke.

"Other than the violet eyes, you're almost a carbon copy of the picture I saw. Anyways, back to my point."

Akeno caught what she thought was a compliment, or him hitting on her and sat up to look at him through bleary eyes.

"My point boils down to this. Your father looked passed the lines drawn by a faction, as did your mother. The Himejima clan couldn't. How is _their_ discrimination his fault?

Sure, if he had been there it might have been different. But people with that kind of hate will stop at nothing. If not then, they would have come again and again. Other than isolating you and your mother in the Grigori HQ for who knows how long, there's little that they probably wouldn't do to get to the two of you."

Akeno had been watching him say this, as he looked towards the forest. Then he turned to look at her, a look of sympathy, of understanding in his eyes.

"Your anger is well deserved. But point it at those that truly deserve it. The Himejima are the ones that broke your family apart. Not the fallen. Believe me when I say Baraqiel is just as torn up about the situation as you are, maybe more."

She was about to argue that there was no way that was possible.

"He lost a wife. _And_ a daughter that day. Over another families hate. To get justice for what was done to another fallen family."

She closed her mouth with that. And Issei looked back out into the distance, fully aware that his time had been up for over thirty seconds. And that Rias was close by and listening in for longer than that.

"I was just as bad as you are for a little while. Then I met the other devil that had been in that field the day my parents and Aya's sister were killed."

Akeno still wasn't able to talk, still feeling the lump in her throat from crying.

"I wanted to attack her _so badly_. To _kill_ her, for her part in my parents death."

Thinking that this was a regret he had about killing someone, Akeno asked if he went through with it.

Issei shook his head.

"No. I was ready to attack. But she recognized me, from that fight. She threw her hands up in the air and dropped to her knees. She begged me to hear her side of the story before she left her life in my hands."

Issei thought of all that the female devil had told him. A lot of which he had kept to himself, not even Raynare knew it all.

"She'd fallen in love with an exorcist. But Heaven and the devils couldn't have that, so they sent a devil that was strong enough, yet deemed expendable to kill the two of them. Then walks in a bunch of humans. It shouldn't have been possible, but my sacred gear let us enter, thinking we were supernatural beings. The exorcist was fatally wounded, so after I killed the other devil, she ran and hid."

Issei cleared his throat, to speak a bit louder as he heard Rias trying to get closer, like she was having trouble hearing the conversation.

"From then on, I've tried to always look from an objective point of view, to see what things from another persons perspective are like."

Issei shifted his focus back onto her, and her situation.

"You have no idea how truly gifted and pulsing with power your blood is. You are the daughter of a Fallen Cadre, renowned for his holy lightning. The daughter of one of the strongest Shinto Priestesses, and a reincarnated devil. If you want to show up the Himejima clan, and make them see how wrong their decision was… Use those powers, Holy, Divine and Demonic… Use those and make them see how wrong it was to exile you and you're mother."

Issei started to stand, groaning as his limbs were still feeling the affect of Akenos latent abilities wanting to manifest.

"Trust me when I say that showing someone up, is better then any other form of revenge. The look on their face when they see how badly you can kick their ass is awesome."

Once he stood and started to walk back towards the entrance, he heard Akeno whisper.

"No promises, but I'll try." And Issei counted that as a victory.

"That's all I can ask for."

'Hell. I'm still trying to get over all the shit Gabriel and Michael have put me through.'

 **-LineBreak-**

The room had gone quiet after Issei followed after Akeno. Koneko was about to reuturn to eating her candy, before a question she'd been burning to ask came out.

"Why him?" She asked quietly, the others were understandably surprised that she'd spoken at all. The small first year girl was never talkative around anyone she didn't know well.

Ray turned to the girl, sensing this very aspect of her personality. Issei would be impressed if she managed to get the small girl to open up a bit. And then….Maybe she could get him to that thing she'd always wanted, but could never quite get the courage to ask for.

"A lot of reasons. his Passion, his understanding, his cooking, when he just says that he loves me out of the blue."

She had the rooms attention. But there was only one thing that Koneko had focused on.

"So he's a pervert first and foremost."

Raynare was ready to defend Issei, but Saji had shot from sitting position on the floor, which was just out of arms reach.

"I KNEW IT!" He yelled. Momo and Ruruko by his side in an instant, to make sure he was steady.

'Seriously dude, open your eyes.' She thought, looking at him and waiting for to hear what kind of revelation had been confirmed by him.

"He went after her because she's dressed like a sl-"

 **SLAP**

Saji was down on the ground, his left cheek having a new handprint across it.

As expected, the two girls knelt down to him, checking to make sure he was alright. Raynare rolled her eyes at them. Sure it was a fairly hard hit by human standards, but not by hers.

She could have spun his head full circle if she tried. But she'd wanted was to knock some of the stupid of him.

She looked over to the Sitri Heiress, gauging what she thought about her violent action. She was happy to see that Sona was smirking.

"No hard feelings?"

Sona smiled towards the fallen.

"None. Nice hit."

Rias had done nothing but stare at the door, worried about what was happening downstairs.

Raynare caught onto it, and spoke her mind.

"He won't mind if you go down there a little early you know."

Rias turned to the fallen, uncertain of what to do.

"Won't he be upset that I went against my word?"

Raynare scoffed at the red head.

"Not in the least. I know him better than anyone. He'll understand that you're concerned about your queen. When you go down there, don't say anything, and stay just within hearing range. Only approach her about a minute after he leaves."

Rias didn't need anymore coaxing, and bolted for the door, eager to find out what was happening down below.

When she came outside and heard what was being said. Was he hitting her? No, she must be hearing things.

It was surprising to say the least to hear about a devil and an exorcist falling in love, but it struck a familiar chord inside of her. It was so much like her brothers tale with his wife.

Two enemies meeting and falling in love, defying the system that said they had to hate each other.

Hearing Akeno cry the way she was, broke her heart. She wanted to run out and comfort her, but she would abide by the words of the fallen. Peace required trust after all. Not that she'd given them hers completely.

But the two of them did seem genuine.

There was another pang in her chest when he said, 'I need her.'

It wasn't what he said. Because she'd heard those words from a despicable excuse of a man before. And several of her fellow students at Kuoh.

It was the tone. It was….desperate? No. That wasn't it.

Rias couldn't come up with a way to describe his voice at that moment. But there was one thing she was certain of. Issei fully believed that to maintain himself, Raynare needed to maintain her part in his life. Or all would be lost. Which was weird….Weren't angels supposed to be compassionate?

Should anything change that… well….. There were stories of what a Red Dragon Emperor could do.

When She'd approached Akeno, Rias was surprised that her queen knew that she was listening in as well. It was given away by a shift in Issei's posture and voice.

"Is he right Rias?"

Akeno was looking to both her best friend and master for guidance. And Rias was just as lost as her, she didn't have the correct answer.

"If he is, I don't see a downside to widening your array of abilities. If he's wrong, you have a very long life ahead of you. Long enough to get over the pain of trying."

 **END!**

 **I'm starting to feel like I don't want to upload a chapter unless its like 8-11k long. I just can't seem to get the short chapter format right. So it means longer in between updates usually…but this was pretty much outlined in my head.**

 **I'm starting to deal with Rias' peerage problems because Issei wants them to be ready for what might be coming. And if they don't like or trust each other. That won't be possible.**

 **Some people have asked about my erratic update tendancies also. I work on an ambulance, so that means I work 24hrs on duty. and 48hrs off. Those 48 hrs have a lot of time spent writing when i'm not dealing with my wedding planning shit, or other obligations. Thats why.**

 **I said previously that Ray will be standoffish with the devils. That'll be when she's alone with them.**

 ** _NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!_**

"You…revealed yourself as the Red Dragon Emperor to them?"

"Yes. Because none of you bothered to tell me, that they weren't given the same amount of information on me as I was given about them."

"Why are you so angry with me all the time Ise? All I want is to fix things!"

"Seriously? You don't even have a clue? You took away my humanity without my permission. You told me you only did it because of Ddraig. You imprison me because I wanted to save the lives of children being murdered by a deranged church official and a rogue angel turned fallen. You turn me into an at will slave for Aya. You risk my life with crazy ass missions because the others can't be lost. I was a child in your care, and I was treated like I didn't matter. You and the Seraphs made me turn away from Tosca and filled her head with _bullshit!_ How _DARE_ you let her think that I don't care about her! And all because you were afraid of what I could do? What might happen if I became stronger than Michael or Dulio?"

"If you knew me at all….Gabriel…You'd know i'd never do that to someone who treated me like a normal fucking person."

Issei walked out of her Hospital room, letting the seraph recover from her injuries. No matter how angry he was at her…Someone had attacked his teammate. He would find them, and they would pay.

If Azazel had seen the state he'd reduced her to…No doubt he'd be both amazed and pissed. Gabriel was always a soft spot for the fallen leader.


	4. Chapter 4

Gabriel, the most beautiful and powerful woman in heaven, had a scheduled meeting between a few factions.

It was a meeting of messengers from the Greek and Norse factions with Heaven, about the means in which they would communicate. Routes to travel, where to be expected to exchange letters, packages, or anything else that was needed.

They were meeting in the human world, an isolated island off the coast of New Zealand, as it was generally neutral territory. Auckland Island.

The Hindu and Egyptian were the other two factions that had initially agreed to be present, but each had cancelled their presence, for reasons that were not relayed.

Gabriel had thought that, being messengers, they would have sent word about where to meet with the other beings. She hadn't heard anything in the month that the meeting location and time was set.

Teleporting herself down to the island, She came to the largest area of flat land.

A large portion of Auckland island was cliffs, or hillside that would prove to be counterproductive when setting up a meeting. You couldn't make a proper setting without at least some level ground for the table and chairs.

Nor could you expect a god, no matter what pantheon, to stand for such a potentially long meeting.

Glancing from side to side, Gabriel looked over the grassy land, admiring the perfect weather as she did.

The sky was clear, the sun shining down and warming her through.

"Truly a blessed land, this is." She whispered.

Her favorite places in the world, were those that the sun shined on frequently, and with warmer temperatures.

Gabriel walked to the edge of the plateau, looking over it, to see if she could find any signs of other people anywhere near her.

There was nothing, no sign of any other life beside her.

She tried the other side, and found the same thing.

"I am certain that we were supposed to meet at this time."

The last details she was given specified as much. It was surprising that the Hindu faction had sent word for the meeting, they were among the more reclusive factions around the world.

The thought, that maybe the meeting was cancelled and she hadn't been informed never crossed her mind.

Her dealings with the Hindu, as few and far between as they'd been, told her that they always stayed true to their word. Unlike the Norse or Greek. Those two factions often either were too laid-back to send word of a change, or just plain forgot all together.

Suddenly, a flare of magic came from behind her.

Gabriel turned to face whoever it was, thankful that she apparently wasn't the only one that would be showing up.

The strange white, almost colorless magic circle revealed a young man.

The black hair, eye shape and combination of a japanese school uniform underneath a layer of what looked to be Chinese armor told her that he was of asian descent.

"Hello young man. A pleasure to have company on this otherwise empty cliff." Gabriel spoke warmly with her usual smile.

The young man turned to her, immediately Gabriel could tell that he was the charismatic type. Which worked well in a messenger role. Whichever faction he belonged to, had done a good job picking him.

It was part of the reason the Heavenly father had Gabriel as his messenger. Her smile warmed hearts, eased worries, and it radiated a peaceful aura that made people listen.

"Gabriel, of the Great Seraphs, I thank you for coming here today." He spoke.

He gave a slight bow to her, a smile on his face.

That smile made her pay closer attention.

It was one that spoke of a hidden objective. There was nothing genuine about it.

"Our meeting will certainly to help spread word." He spoke vaguely after he raised himself.

Gabriel tilted her head in confusion, even as her eyes never left him.

"Was there a change in topic for our meeting? I had been told that at least two other factions were to be present."

He took three steps towards her before his right thrust out, and appeared to be grabbing something from thin air.

"I apologize for the lack of forewarning, normally I'm much more up front. But the events of recent days has caused a change in plan."

Gabriel felt a holy presence form into the boys hand. It was powerful, and one of the purest concentrations she had felt outside of a high tier angel.

Wait…she recognized this feeling…

The holy presence formed itself into a spear, its length being as tall as he was. The snake shaped decoration wrapped around the upper quarter length, leading to the blade where the holy energy was emanating from told Gabriel what she was looking at.

"My name is Cao Cao, Wielder of the True Longinus, and I am here to send a message."

Her smile returned. She had only come across one other wielder of the holy spear before, since it was made into a Sacred Gear. It was a blessing to see.

"It is certainly a pleasure to meet the wielder of the strongest longinus, created by my father."

Gabriel felt the shift in the boys power, as 7 lights surrounded him, in the form of orbs of light. Her smile being removed from her face, something that was rare to see.

"Itsutei Ratana." Cao Cao said.

Gabriel felt herself immediately being restricted. By what exactly, she wasn't sure. Whatever it was that the holy spear had done, it wasn't a commonly known ability.

"The angels collusion with devils and fallen was surprising. And ultimately, cannot be allowed. They are beings of evil, and those that willingly aim to coexist with them need to be eliminated."

Cao Caos face turned serious, the spear placed in both hands now, and pointed directly towards her heart.

Gabriel tried to summon a spear of light, to defend herself. Only to find herself unable to.

She looked at her hands in surprise, not knowing why her abilities were failing her.

She hadn't had to fight in a very long time, but she was by no means rusty. Her light had never failed her before, why now?

"My hope, is that your death will bring Heaven to the proper realization. The fallen and devils have no place in this world, they need to be removed. Humans will lead the charge, proving that we are not the helpless beings the supernatural thinks we are."

Cao Cao charged forward, his spear still pointed directly at her heart.

Gabriel unleashed her wings, preparing to take flight if needed. She may specialize in light manipulation, but hand to hand combat was by no means a foreign subject to her.

The spear thrust forward, and Gabriel tilted her body to the right, letting it slide by her.

Gabriel jumped up to swing her leg around and kick the man in the back of the head.

When Cao Cao saw that his attack missed, he rolled to his right, letting her leg come overhead.

When he stood upright, Gabriel was in a fighting stance, her robe fluttering in the breeze lightly.

"What will attacking me accomplish? Other than getting Heaven to search for you?" Her voice held none of its usual happy tone.

The battle hardened warrior of the great war was standing on the field now. One that had killed leagues of fallen and devils single handedly. Her sapphire blue eyes narrowed towards her current opponent.

"Taking you out of the picture will make Heaven rethink their peaceful presence in Kuoh. It's truly a shame that such a renowned angel such as yourself, has advocated coexistence with them."

He didn't elaborate any further, wanting to get his plans moving forward for after she was dead.

Cao Cao spun the holy spear around his body to be in his left hand now.

"I have many obligations after this, so I shall make your demise short and quick, out of respect for your position."

One of the orbs that had been hovering in a circle above him shone brightly.

"Atsusa Ratana." Cao Cao vanished from view.

Gabriels eyes scanned the field quickly, seeing and feeling nothing.

The holy presence appeared directly behind her a moment later.

Gabriel tried to take flight, to get out of the path of the holy weapon.

"Ah!" She yelled, feeling the blade scrape against the lower part of her back.

If she had been standing on the ground, her head would have likely been separated from her body. As it was, there was a nasty slice where the blade of the spear had met her skin.

Gabriel landed back on the ground a hundred feet from Cao Cao.

"How are you able to lock my light powers?" She demanded.

"My balance breaker. _Polar Night Longinus Chakra Valdine._ These seven treasures allow me to combat even some of the strongest supernatural beings."

Cao Cao pointed to the one that he'd used on her first.

"Itsutei Ratana seals any special abilities of a woman for a time. Your light abilities included."

She widened her eyes at that. Without her light, hand to hand would be the only way for her to fight. Cao Cao pointed to the other orb he'd used.

"Atsusa Ratana teleports anyone of my choosing, to any place of my choosing."

Near instant teleportation would make him a hard opponent, even if she had her full array of powers. Without them….Her fate would be sealed.

The slash on her back was bleeding down her robes, she could feel its sting. If she wanted to get out of this situation, she would need help. If only…

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei was in the kitchen, making dinner for him, Raynare and Aya.

It had been a week since the meeting with the devils. And with all things considered, Everything had been going fairly well.

He had found a two story house pretty close to the school, and purchased it with cash up front to the seller.

Blue exterior with a small yard out front and back. A balcony just off of his room.

Just inside the front door led to the living room, and to the right was the dining area and kitchen, only blocked by an open doorway.

Issei appreciated the newer appliances, as they made cooking easier and more pleasant.

The pork in the pan sizzled, the thin slices almost ready to be plated with the veggies.

Ray and Aya were in the living room, watching some horrible reality TV show.

'Why would someone go on television to find their spouse?' He had thought the same thing every time they watched the show.

He couldn't imagine any scenario where he'd want his relationship to be broadcast for the world to see.

Had to be a girl thing.

The situation with the devils hadn't really changed all that much since the first meeting.

The two girls in the Sitri peerage were the friendliest with him and Ray. The rest were neutral most of the time. Saji still silently cursed Issei for having Raynare, but kept up a civil front.

The two that Issei had talked to, Kiba and Akeno, would fluctuate.

Kiba would go from his normal, prince charming to brooding teenager at the flip of a switch. Issei hadn't found the right opportunity to have that talk yet, the boy was still too unstable for it.

Akeno was generally pleasant with Issei, but still pretty frosty with Raynare. The verbal aspect of it had stopped, but the looks would come around every once in a while. She was trying, just like she said she would.

That was alright for now, but Issei _really_ wanted to get them training, just in case.

The food was done now. He plated the meat, and set the three places on the dining table.

"Girls, food is ready!" He called out into the living room, as he turned and sat himself down.

Ray came in, looking as happy as she had when the mission started. Her post proposal high hadn't worn off yet. She sat to his left, with Issei at the head of the table.

Aya came stumbling in, her shoulder knocking into the frame of the doorway. She glared at the frame, like it had wronged her in some way, before plopping herself down.

She hadn't been in the best mood. The moment she saw the ring on Rays finger, she had flipped out on Issei.

She accused him of leaving her behind, of not loving her, of thinking she was a horrible person.

None of which was true, not that she listened.

She was the last thing he had even close to family, he did love her. And while she had her issues, mainly stemming from the trauma of seeing her sister dismembered in front of her, she was _not_ a bad person.

Issei could already tell what tomorrow morning would be like.

He'd wake up, start on breakfast for the three of them. After chugging her usual two cups of coffee, Aya would apologize for acting this way. And like usual, Issei would forgive her. Because it wasn't entirely her fault.

Her sister dying was a case of wrong place, wrong time. She could only recall the event, because Michael had refused to wipe her memories of the event once she started to show side effects of the trauma she'd gone through. And no angel could go against the words of the one that had taken Gods place.

She'd promise to never use the dagger on him unless it was really necessary, and they'd go back to normal.

She was so sweet and loving when she was sober. Give her a few drinks though…And all of those worries and fears came out in the form of a sex craved dominatrix or a teary basket case. She'd bought quite a few….accessories….for her new habit lately.

How did he end up living with two forceful women?

Ray had surprised him by her request the day after meeting the devils.

Issei was still trying to figure out if he was okay with giving it to her.

Apparently her fantasy was to have him force himself on her. She'd already told him what her safe word would be if he was really crossing the line, even though she knew that he wouldn't.

Raynare wanted him to slam her against a wall, rip off her clothes, and take what he wanted from her, like he owned her.

Normally, Issei had no problem giving in to what the two girls wanted. But this, was pushing the limits of what he was comfortable with.

Even if it wasn't real, and just a fantasy, it came too close to what the dagger turned him into. A tool, to be used at its owners command.

When dinner was finished and Issei was cleaning up, Aya came in, resting against the frame of the doorway.

He could feel her presence there, but just let her be.

Aya stood there for a few moments, just looking at him, before walking over.

Issei stopped what he was doing when she wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his back.

"Something wrong Aya?"

She didn't say anything for a while, so Issei returned to drying the plate in his hand.

"Don't leave me behind." She whispered.

They were back to this talk again. Her insecurities were getting the better of her.

Fuck Michael in all his twelve winged glory for making her hold onto those images. Humans weren't supposed to see the supernatural at work.

Issei put the plate down, tapped on her hand to get her grip to ease up.

He turned around and pulled her into his chest. He spoke softly with his cheek nuzzled into her hair.

"I'd never do that."

She gave him a squeeze, then pulled back to look him in the face.

"Promise?" Her gray eyes searching his for their sincerity.

Issei nodded with a smile.

"I promise."

She returned the smile, but it was more of a sly one, compared to his honest and heartfelt.

"Good." Aya stepped back, and grabbed on to Issei's hand, dragging him out of the kitchen.

"Come with me."

They rounded the corner towards the staircase towards the floor where the bedrooms were.

Aya dragged him up them quickly, coming face to face with Raynare, who had gone upstairs to change into a see through light blue nightgown.

She saw the look on Aya and smirked. It was time for their nightly fun it seemed.

"Time to play hide the sausage?" The smile on Aya widened.

"Yep. And we're going until I know that Aiko will have to help me out of the squad car tomorrow."

Raynare just laughed as she started to follow behind them, wanting to get in on the action. With any luck, she'd be in the same situation. Supernatural stamina added to a dragons libido was never to underestimated.

"Maybe I should put the dishes away before we get started?" Issei said.

He wasn't against her plan for the rest of the night, far from it. But the kitchen was his domain, and he liked to keep it in order.

Aya stopped, Raynare coming to stand next to her. The two girls glared at him for thinking he was escaping their clutches.

"NUh Uh mister. You're coming with us right now-" Aya started.

"Aya." Raynare interrupted.

Issei had felt a pulsing in his hand that Aya was holding. Raynare saw the light emitting from it, and her eyes widened at how different it was from the last time she saw it.

It was flashing twice a second. Normally it would only be once every 2 seconds, and be a dull light. This was a frantic, bright pulsing.

A distress signal. An emergency.

And apparently an emergency that required _the Joker._

"What?" The human turned to Raynare.

Seeing the fallen staring at the linked hands, she saw the red hat surrounded by the heart.

Ayas face grew angry.

"NO! She's been stealing you away much more than normal lately. She can go without for one more night."

Issei looked down at his hand. This wasn't good.

An emergency call had only come to him once. And after that, he had heard talks going around the upper echelon of heaven to only call him again if it was a matter of life and death.

Thats what he got from letting that stray walk out of there after diffusing the situation. She had only been defending herself, and not escalating things. And technically, Mirana had been in the wrong. She had wandered into territory she shouldn't have.

"Aya, thats an emergency call! You know how the angels feel about calling Issei in for anything. Someone is in serious trouble!" Raynare tried to reason with her.

The anger on her face didn't let up as she threw Issei's hand down.

"Fine…" She growled, turning around to head to her room.

"You better stock up on vitamin waters and food. Cause your ass is mine all weekend." She turned around to face the angel being called.

"And I _won't_ be gentle." With that she slammed the door.

Issei gave a sigh.

"Great…just going my job, and i'm going to have numb limbs for 48hrs." He turned towards Raynare, who gave him a teasing look.

"I've never seen a man complain about a weekend sex marathon before."

He deflated a little at that.

"Yea…well, most don't actually get to experience the friction burn on your dick as a result of it. Lube can only do so much."

Raynare shrugged.

"We've never had that problem before."

Issei grabbed his robe from the pocket dimension that he kept it in, and slid it over his head.

"Your not human. Your body recovers the necessary bodily fluid faster."

He closed his eyes and focused on teleporting to where the call was coming from. He was worried that it was coming from Gabriel of all people.

A seraph was sending an emergency call…What the fuck was going on? And why was she in New Zealand?

"I'll be back as soon as I can Ray." Issei said as he reopened his eyes, preparing the circle.

She stepped forward, cupped his cheeks and gave him a small kiss.

"Be safe. Be quick. And stay on guard." With a nod he warped away.

 **-LineBreak-**

When the light died, Issei was standing on a grassy plain, with chunks taken out of the land.

He heard a gasp from somewhere behind him.

Turning around, Issei could not believe what he was seeing.

Gabriel was being thrashed by a young man who couldn't have been much older than him.

The holy feeling threw him off a little bit, and he narrowed his eyes at the thought that this might be another traitor of an angel.

That was until he saw the spear. The true Longinus. And it was being used against one of gods first creations.

Gabriel was on one knee, cuts and slashes over most of her body. Her normally pristine white robes were largely covered in her own blood, the robe had to have been cut at least 30 times, making over half of her skin be revealed to the world.

The man stood a few feet away, just within striking range with his weapon.

"This is the end Seraph Gabriel. You fought well."

Gabriel stared at the tip of the spear fearlessly that was raised to pierce her skull.

Issei leapt into motion, his wings bursting from his back, and 3 rings of light coating Issei's right arm.

The beating of wings caught the mans attention, and saw the new arrival speeding towards him.

Issei threw one of the rings of light towards his opponent. Once it got close, it expanded in size, large enough to circle around a mid sized car.

The spear wielder hooked it with the tip and launched it back.

Issei compacted the ring that was deflected, catching it in his hand as he landed in front of the young man attacking his master.

"Alright shit stain, you're fighting me now." Issei declared.

The young man in front of him looked at Issei for a moment, before he realized who was standing in front of him.

"Ah the fabled hidden Joker. The childrens crimson light. A pleasure." The smile plastered on the young mans face was exactly like when he fought Vali.

But Issei was wary, whoever this was, they were well informed. He hadn't held that title in quite a while. Not since he'd been forced to walk away from Tosca, from the kids he watched over.

'Ddraig, time to go to work.' He said to the dragon attached to his soul.

 ** _[The true Longinus is not to be underestimated partner.]_**

'I know. And if he could bring Gabriel down without so much as a scratch on him, i'm not taking chances.'

Issei activated the gauntlet form of his boosted gear.

 **[BOOST!]**

Then prepared a technique he had only used a few times before. Mainly because he didn't want many people realizing he had it.

The green gem on his gauntlet turned blue, before three white lights shot out of it and hovered overhead.

The light died down to reveal 3 small wyverns, about 2 feet in length, circling above them.

"Get ready, whatever your name is, this ends now."

Issei shot forward again, his wyverns coming down to be close to him.

Cao Cao readied his spear, gauging what his opponent would do. he gathered that the small flying creatures were going to be used as a distraction, so he would have to take them out first.

Issei closed in and pulled a fist back.

Cao Cao spun to the left, and swung his spear at the wyvern closest to him. The bladed tip was just about to connect.

 **{Reflect!}**

His spear flung back the other direction, almost coming out of his grip.

Seeing that was all that Issei needed, he mentally commanded the other two to swoop in and tag the target.

The two wyverns gave small roars as they banked left and thrashed their tails at him.

Cao Cao managed to catch his balance and dip out of the way for the first wyvern, the second one hitting him on the right knee.

"Atsusa Ratana." Cao Cao teleported himself directly behind Issei right after being hit.

 **{Divide!}**

Cao Cao stumbled as his power left him, giving Issei the time to turn around and launch another attack.

Pulling his left hand back, a red ball of energy formed. His hand launched towards it.

"Dragon" Once it connected the sphere scattered into several smaller shots. "Shot!"

One of the wyverns turned red as the balls of energy were launched at Cao Cao, preparing to transfer the gathered energy into the attack.

The 12 small spheres sped forward, and the swift change in the battle was forcing him to reveal more of his treasures.

"Mala Ratana!" He was losing the calm that he had when facing Gabriel. This angel was quickly proving to be a fighter that would push him to his limits.

The spheres redirected to head towards Gabriel, who was gasping for breath, holding one arm to her shoulder to slow the bleeding.

her eyes widened at seeing the attack come for her. Her light abilities were still being blocked, so she couldn't form a barrier to protect herself.

'Fuck this guy!' Issei thought, preparing to take it up another notch.

The second wyvern came in front of Gabriel, as Issei prepared more rings of light around his right arm.

Issei prepared to time his attack.

The spheres made contact with the wyvern.

 **{Reflect!}**

Issei's attack was launched in a variety of directions, three of them heading back for Cao Cao.

Issei saw that the young man was looking at the spheres heading his way, only paying minimal attention to him, thinking that the wyverns were remotely controlled and the bigger threat at the moment.

Issei launched all three light rings at him, timed to hit just after the dragon shot.

The bottom ring was set to cut, hopefully taking off a portion of his legs. The upper and middle were to ensnare the opponent for capture.

Cao Cao scowled at the dual attacks, and jammed his spears hilt into the ground at his feet. A barrier of golden light coming down around him.

The spheres, as well as the rings dissipated after contacting the barrier.

When the barrier receded, Cao Cao stood and looked up into the sky, seeing the setting sun.

"It appears I have run out of time. No matter, the message has been sent. Heaven will realize that peace with them is the wrong choice sooner or later."

And just like that, the wielder of the true Longinus warped himself away, leaving Issei confused.

"The fuck?"

His senses told him that the young man was truly gone, and not just hiding to get the drop on him.

He turned towards Gabriel, who had apparently fainted at some point when he wasn't looking.

He ran up to her, and inspected the wounds.

There was a lot of blood on her. Her skin was pale.

Feeling for a pulse on her wrist, Issei could feel it was rapid and thready.

Hypovolemic shock. He needed to get her out of here.

Issei picked the Seraph up bridal style, her blood getting on his own robes.

Issei warped them to the fifth Heaven, where the medical ward was located.

The same white and gold was the main decor, as it was with all of Heaven.

His arrival made a few of the angels that were nearby jump in surprise. They scowled when they saw who had arrived. They didn't even notice who was in his arms.

Issei rolled his eyes and yelled.

"Will one of you useless Bird brains get a fucking medic!"

That drew the attention to the female body in his arms, the panic that set in was almost immediate as they scattered.

Issei walked forward, through the double wide, white hallway. A lot of the rooms in Heavens hospital had been turned into research offices, since the number of wounded had plummeted after the cease fire.

5 rooms down, was the first open room that wasn't an office, but a regular medical room.

Issei strode in, and placed Gabriel down gently on the bed, turning on the monitor above the bed.

It was amazing, how much the supernatural had taken from human customs. Heart monitors equipped with automated blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, Co2 gauges, EKG leads, IV pumps. It was all there.

For sealing wounds, magic could be used. But Issei was never good at that branch, he was more suited for destructive kinds.

Before Issei was more thoroughly shunned, he'd wanted to train to be a part of this facility, being a trauma specialist. He grabbed the trauma sheers and cut down center of Gabriels robes, enough to get to what he'd need, but not enough to expose her, along with a cut in the sleeves.

He checked her arms for cuts, the left upper arm was free of injury, so he grabbed the BP cuff and placed it there. There was no doubt she needed blood, but he couldn't tell how much she'd lost.

78/40 The Blood Pressure read as he was wiping some of the blood off her skin to get a better look at the wounds, that were already starting to heal. Only the one on her other shoulder and her back would need a bandage.

The blood pressure was low…but hopefully wouldn't take too much for her to be back up to an acceptable pressure.

Issei formed a comm circle around his ear, calling the Queen of hearts.

 _-Griselda speaking._

Issei didn't waste time with pleasantries…Not with this woman.

"Come to fifth Heaven, Gabriel's injured." He cut the communication off as she was starting to ask for more information. He would tell her when she got in the room.

Issei was placing the heart monitor leads on his king when Griselda warped into the room, looking like she was nearly in a panic.

And when she saw where Issei's hands were, she went from panic into anger.

"What in the _world_ do you think you're doing?!" The hooded angel stomped forward towards her fellow brave saint. Issei didn't even acknowledge her, he was busy making sure that Gabriel got proper care.

'Seems like it doesn't matter if its human, angel, devil or fallen…Hospitals make you wait for fucking ever.' He grumbled in his mind.

He was currently placing the heart monitor leads on her chest, being careful to block her breasts from his sight. The less the others had to hate him for, the better.

His hand was snatched by that of the queen of hearts, tearing it away from the recently placed final lead. The heart monitor giving recognition of the signal coming through in a still rapid but proper rhythm.

Issei glared at the queen, snapping his hand out of her grip and stepping to the other side of the bed. He pushed the BP button again, wanting a new reading to see if there was any changes.

He turned towards the 6 winged angel while waiting for the machine to do its thing.

"I was putting her on the monitor and cleaning her up-" Issei faced towards the door and raised his voice so that the angels in the area could hear him.

"BECAUSE APPARENTLY MY BEING HERE MEANS IT'S OKAY TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT A SERAPH NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION!"

Griselda's blue eyes lost most of their anger, and went back to the usual neutral state. She turned to glare out of the door, where she knew that the resident medic would be able to feel it.

"Seriously, what a fucking crock of shit. They can hate me all they want, but just because i'm in here, they take their sweet time. Bastards need to be fired."

Issei grumbled as he grabbed a needle, placing a tourniquet on Gabriels other arm.

Griselda watched with an appreciative eye at his work. He was quick, efficient, and knowledgable.

Issei hit the vein on the forearm just below the elbow, attaching a saline bag and opening it up to free flow, hoping to get her BP back up into the normal range.

"You've been studying on your own." Griselda commented.

Issei grunted with a short nod.

"School is boring as fuck. Just because _this_ hospital won't take me, doesn't mean another won't. It's still what I want to do."

Griselda closed the door to the room, and sat on the opposite side of where Issei was, looking at him as he watched the heart monitor.

"What happened?" She questioned.

"85/52..better." The joker mumbled, looking at the new reading.

Issei shrugged towards the queen of hearts.

"Not entirely sure. She sent me an emergency call. I showed up to find her and a guy wielding the holy spear fighting." Griseldas eyes shot wide open at the mention.

"She was cut up pretty bad from what I could tell, and couldn't lay a hand on him. I didn't bother waiting to find out how, or why."

Griselda digested this information carefully. First question was how Gabriel had been defeated so handily. She was a Seraph, an angel of the highest order, defeating her was no easy task.

Then there was the fact that she had called Issei instead of herself. It had been decided that the second Joker was a resource only to be used if needed. Based on the way Gabriel looked, it appeared to be the right call at least.

"Did you kill the wielder?" She asked him. While she would understand that it might have been necessary, the other angels would certainly have even more reason to dislike him if he did kill the one who held the holy spear.

Issei shook his head.

"No. This guy was a cut above the rest. I brought out the wyverns, and he was still putting up a good fight. Apparently he had better things to do, he teleported out of there as I was considering whether or not to armor up."

Issei looked up at the monitor as it gave a few alarming beeps. her o2 sats were down. Not dangerously low, sitting at 90%, but enough to do something about it.

he got up and grabbed a nasal cannula, putting the ends in Gabriels nose and turning the oxygen up to 4 liters.

"Whoever this guy is, he's connected. He knew who I was. called me the childrens crimson light."

Griselda crossed her arms. That left only three placed that this information could come back to. Issei had been charged with helping children. The seraphs thought it fitting, since he was a child himself at the time, and could relate better to them then another angel.

Just like Dulio, Issei liked to visit the orphanages in church control. While Dulio liked showing them different foods, Issei just liked playing with them. Childrens Crimson Light had only come from three of those orphanages. One in Canada, one in China, and the last in India.

It didn't even mean that whoever this person was, came from the orpahanage, only that the information had spread from there. It would be hard to track the information trail.

Griselda gave the Joker a questioning glance.

"Why call me here? why not just talk through the magic circle? It seems as though you have things under control here."

Issei sat back down, his eyes waiting to see that oxygen percentage rise.

"Has your search led to anything substantial? Anything that might be useful? I'm asking because I don't intend to leave her here with these _idiots._ I called you specifically because I can't stand being around the others for very long, and I wanted someone who would believe that _I_ didn't do this to her, before she can say so herself."

Issei saw the o2 sat start to go up slowly, so he turned back to Griselda.

"I'm sure you've asked yourself… What happens if our _king_ dies? Do our cards still work? Will that kill us too? You might not feel as strongly about it as I do, but i'm not leaving Aya and Raynare behind because I couldn't protect my master."

Griselda hadn't seen Issei in a long time. 2 and a half years by her count. She hadn't thought it possible that he could be any more disillusioned with Heaven. Apparently, she was wrong.

"I've found nothing. The fragment seems to have just vanished into thin air. All I was able to find out, was that its initial direction of travel was South from the UK. Nothing on possible suspects either."

She watched as Issei's face looked annoyed, then worried, and then back to the expression that she was used to from him. Empty.

"Normally, you wouldn't bother to ask about something like this. Whats changed Issei?"

He rose an eyebrow at the queen.

"They haven't told you what my current assignment is?"

Griselda shook her head, and Issei snorted.

"Figures. Angels might not be able to lie, but they're awfully good at not telling the whole truth." She clearly didn't know about the peace test. he knew it was secret, but to keep it from a queen? That meant that almost _no one_ knew about it. Why would he think anything else? His missions were never spoken of. He was the black ops of Heaven.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was getting tired of shit like this. All of the sneers, the talking behind his back. All of it because of things he couldn't control.

"I wanted to meet face to face so that I could give Gabriel an update when she wakes up, also to try and piece some of this puzzle together. I'll take care of things here until she wakes up, should only be a few hours max."

Griselda nodded, she did need to return to her search. She stood and walked over to the other side of the bed, preparing to transport herself back to where she'd left off. She put a hand on Issei's shoulder, making him flinch momentarily, as he wasn't paying attention to her.

"One day Issei, I hope to learn the reason for your anger since you were confined in second Heaven. You and I may disagree on many things, but I know that underneath it all is a caring person."

Griselda stepped into the circle and disappeared.

"I hope i'm very far away, if you ever find out." Issei said to himself, still watching his king. The queen of hearts had a fierce temper, and didn't want to be anywhere near that ticking bomb when it went off.

 **-LineBreak-**

Raynare was fidgeting as she sat in the ORC, the other members looking towards her expectantly.

Issei hadn't come home last night, and had only contacted her several hours later. All he could tell her, was that an angel was hurt, and he was needed up in Heaven because of the others incompetence.

She gathered that it was Gabriel or one of her brave saints that was injured, since he wouldn't have bothered staying if it were anyone else. It would also explain the emergency signal to him specifically. Only one of Gabriels could have sent it.

She had been getting questions all day, about where Issei was. She just told the other students, that he had an important matter to attend to.

When the student council members asked, she could at least say that he was up in Heaven for something, and she didn't know the specifics.

"You really don't know why he's there?" Rias asked, a raised eyebrow as she sat in her desk.

Raynare shook her head, feeling nervous around them all. It was a lot easier when Issei was here with her. In pure strength alone, she could take them all. But devils tended to be sneaky, and surprise tactics had been proven to work against her.

"I don't. He said he was needed, nothing specific as to why."

Raynare sat on the couch in her Yuuma form, next to the white haired Rook, who was scarfing down candy.

The devils could all tell that she didn't want to be in their presence by herself, while they themselves felt almost the opposite.

Sure, Issei had come off as a trust worthy person, who was truly wanting this peace to last. But he was still the anti-thesis of their race.

Raynare was too, but Issei was the stronger opponent. So with him gone for the moment, the danger was more than halved.

Rias had noted how Raynare stepped into the room, and scanned it three times over, before sitting at the edge of the couch where she could see the movements of everyone inside.

Kiba stepped away from his normal position, towards the center of the room where the couches were. Raynares eyes were immediately on him.

"A shame. I was hoping we'd finally have that talk today." Kiba said, sitting down on the opposite couch, crossing one leg over the other and opening a book.

The half fallen queen of Rias stepped into the room, carrying a tray of tea and snacks for the group.

"I still wonder, how it is that an angel can be romantically involved with anyone and not fall." Akeno said absently, trying to make it sound like she wasn't talking to Raynare. It was the best way she could keep herself held together, if she just made it sound like she was thinking aloud.

Rias nodded in agreement.

"I was wondering that too. The two of you seem very close. One would think that there would have to be a physical aspect of the relationship since you're engaged. Devils and Fallen aren't known for their celibacy."

Raynare picked up the cup of hot tea, wondering if Issei would be upset that she told them. They had talked about many things that were alright to share. Rank, Sacred Gear, what their specialty was.

His inability to fall, hadn't come up either way.

Plus, talking about Issei always made her feel more comfortable.

"Hmmm~ I wonder what it would be like, to be _punished_ by an angel." Akeno said, trying to get a rise out of Raynare. They didn't know that he was already involved with someone other than herself, so trying to make her jealous wouldn't work.

She was also very aware of the way dragons attracted people. But knowing that she would be his first wife made that pill easier to swallow.

'depends. Do you want to be on the edge of an orgasm for an hour straight? Or do you want nipple clamps and a paddle?' She thought.

Issei was _very_ open minded. Implements of pain weren't his favorite thing, but if you showed that you enjoyed it, he was alright using them. Because the girls pleasure was what he was most concerned with, during any intimate time.

She could only thank Aya for opening that door.

"Akeno, I doubt that an angel would be alright with the type of….scenario…you have in mind."

Raynare spoke before she could stop herself.

"He'd be fine with it." her eyes shot open, and she clamped a hand over her mouth.

The others all looked at her. Rias and Kiba with shocked eyes, Akeno with a look of expectation. And Koneko…Well she was always hard to read. But it said something, that she had torn her attention away from her candy.

They kept staring at her, waiting for more. Raynare started to squirm from all the gazes.

"Would you….care to elaborate?" Akeno was actually speaking and looking directly at her now.

'Too late to turn back now.' She thought to herself. If she refused to answer, they would just badger Issei about it when he returned.

Someone knocked on the door at that moment, making Raynare sigh in relief.

At least this would bring the attention somewhere else.

"Enter." Rias spoke, using her Heiress voice.

The door opened to reveal the student council members. They must have finished whatever work for the day to be able to spend time here with them.

The group stepped in, noticing Raynare, but taking in the fact that the angel was still missing.

"Hello Rias. I see Issei Hyoudou is still absent?" Sona spoke to the other king.

Rias nodded.

"Yes. Apparently called up to Heaven for something."

Sona, along with a few others frowned in dissapointment.

"A shame. I was rather curious to find out if he had an elemental affinity."

Rias and Sona both looked to Raynare.

'Seriously? they know he has a dragon sacred gear, it should be pretty obvious what his best element is.'

"Fire is by far his best. Then lightning. He can only do the bare minimum with Water." She answered.

Sona nodded to that answer. She had assumed that fire would be more potent for him.

"Unfortunate. I was hoping to have a conversation about water techniques. Perhaps glean a few things to add to my own skills."

Rias nodded, then smirked as she brought the conversation back to where it had been before the knock on the door.

"You might not get any magical knowledge. But i'm certain our previous conversation will at least be interesting."

Sona raised an eyebrow, three of the girls stepped forward, curious as to what it was. Reya, Tomoe and Yura looked particularly interested.

"Oh? And what was the topic?" Sona questioned.

Rias crossed her arms in a triumphant manner, looking at Raynare.

"Apparently, Issei isn't as innocent as we've come to expect an angel to be."

'I need to learn to keep my mouth shut.' Raynare berated herself.

Everyone turned to the full fallen in the room. The only male on Sona's peerage looked especially concerned about what she would say, not surprising since he seemed to be as big of a horn dog as the majority of the males in this school.

But it was too late to turn back now. She'd pretty much already let the cat out of the bag.

"Issei….Can't fall." She said with a sigh.

Normally, Raynare would have reveled in the silence that she had instilled in the room. Leaving everyone speechless was almost always something to be proud of. But this time, it came from revealing her lovers secrets. She wasn't sure how he would take it.

"What?!"

"That's….unexpected."

"…Strange…"

Rias, Sona, and Koneko spoke. Kiba looked uninterested in that fact. While Saji….looked pissed. His hands were shaking at his sides, and his face was turning red. The others were speechless, their mouths hanging open.

"So…..Y-you two…have…" Raynare nodded to the unasked question.

Saji's face flushed a deep red in his jealously.

"Damn Him! He gets light powers, and can have sex with a hot girl whenever he wants?! Thats totally unfair!" Momo slapped the blonde boy on the back of the head for being so dense.

Apparently, the white hared girl was getting tired of him lusting after Raynare.

Akeno looked particularly interested now that she knew that bit of information. The angel in their school, not only couldn't fall…but had experience in the realm of her fetish?

"Have you and Issei been….acclimated… to that type of play?" Akeno asked, not wanting to come out and say that she was picturing whips, chains, handcuffs, plugs, paddles and clamps.

"We've….warmed him up to it." Raynare didn't realize what she'd said until it was too late.

" _we?_ " The entire group asked at once.

'ah fuckberries.'

The only positive thing that seemed to come from this encounter, was that Akeno was talking to Raynare while actually looking at her.

If it took exposing their sexual history to the girl to get her to open up a bit, Raynare was sure that Issei would understand.

'Hell, she looks so much like me, maybe he'd drag her in with us.'

 **-LineBreak-**

She had been asleep far longer than Issei had expected. Well into the night that he brought Gabriel into the fifth heaven, he had fallen asleep in the chair beside her bed.

At least the medical staff had actually come in after the first hour. They saw that Issei had pretty much done all that could be done until something changed.

He changed bandages, monitored vital signs. Unless something out of the ordinary had popped up, he was completely capable of handling it.

It was now well in to the afternoon the day after, and Gabriel was finally starting to stir, her vitals had been stable, almost unchanging for 10 hours.

her blue eyes finally fluttered open, her breathing becoming audible to a human range.

"mmmm." She moaned from the ache of being in that horribly uncomfortable bed.

her eyes fluttered open, taking in the scenery of Heaven.

She blinked a few times, remembering that, this wasn't where she could last remember being.

'What…happened?'

She remembered heading to the meeting, and no one being there. Looking over the cliffs, enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Gabriel shot up in her bed, her eyes flicking from left to right as the memory came back.

'The holy spear wielder…' She looked at her right hand, and tried to call upon her light.

A small dagger formed in her hand, as perfect as it ever was.

Gabriel gave a small sigh of relief, at least her abilities hadn't been permanently closed off from her.

'That young man…defeated me..'

It was only then that she remembered who she had called, and the brief part of the fight she had witnessed.

'Did Ise succeed?'

Gabriel looked around the room she found herself in, noticing that she had cords, and tubes attached to various places on her body.

Towards where the door was, she saw her Joker sleeping in the chair, snoring lightly.

He didn't appear to be harmed at all, which made her happy.

Issei stirred in his chair, opening one eye to check on his king.

Seeing her awake, he opened both his eyes and sat straight up in his chair.

"Have a good nap master?" He asked, tilting his head to each side, getting a satisfying pop.

Gabriel frowned, she really hated how he referred to her. Slavery was _not_ her intention. He was dying when she came to him! Sure, it may have been slowly, and wouldn't claim his life for another year…But it still would have happened.

"Do me a favor.. Don't piss that guy off again alright?"

Gabriel just stared at him, trying to find the right words to start the conversation she'd been wanting to have for a long time.

It was embarrassing really. She was the messenger of God, and here she was, having trouble finding the right words to deliver to one under her command.

Issei took her silence as her not wanting to have idle chit chat with him.

"Right, down to business then. I stalled him long enough that he left to go do something he deemed more important than killing a Seraph. Fixed you up as best I could after bringing you here, called your queen to fill her in, and get an update on her search. She's got nothing by the way. Monitored you throughout the night, since the idiots here took forever to do anything."

His neutral expression turned towards the ceiling, trying to recall any other important information.

"And that's it. You should be fully healed in a day or so."

Issei stood up, wanting to get back home.

Gabriel stopped him as he was almost to the door.

"Ise, wait!" Her hand was stretched out, like she wanted to grab for him.

When he turned around, she hadn't really thought of what to say yet, so she went with the obvious.

"How has your mission been going?" She asked kindly.

He rose an eyebrow at her. She had never asked him about anything before his report on a mission was done. If there was anything to report, he would have already mentioned it. It was how their 'relationship' worked.

Regardless, she was his king. She had asked him a question, and Issei would answer.

"Well enough I suppose. They've been accommodating. No real trust has been established yet. Two in the Sitri peerage are more friendly than the rest."

Issei's eyes narrowed a tad as he thought about one particular bit.

"Although, it was news to them when I said I'm Ddraigs host."

Gabriel widened her eyes.

"You….revealed yourself as the Red Dragon Emperor?"

Issei nodded slightly.

"Yes. Because none of you bothered to tell me, that they weren't given the same amount of information on me, as I was on them."

This conversation was quickly heading where it always did. She would say something to try and break the ice, and it would lead into something that she and the other Seraphs had thought would be easily understood.

And as usual, Issei disagreed.

"I don't understand master. You want peace, you send me to this school to befriend them. And yet, you withhold information that could lead them into trouble."

"We didn't think that you would reveal yourself, you lose any element of surprise should things not work out."

Issei scoffed at her reasoning.

"Did the Devil Kings know?"

Gabriel nodded.

"Then what _possible_ element of surprise would there be if things had gotten that bad where I needed to bring Ddraig out? Those are two of the Satans siblings, if an altercation broke out, do you think that those two wouldn't get involved?"

He was getting angry again, and things had started off relatively well too.

Issei gave a heavy sigh. He was tired, and didn't want to argue with her right now.

"Clearly we have different perspectives on this."

Leaning back into his chair, Issei rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Gabriel watched him sadly. She had been berating herself for the way she'd treated him for months now.

If not for the way Azazel spoke of her joker, she'd have continued believing that he acted this way to all of the supernatural. There was a tone of friendliness in the fallen leaders voice.

It wasn't just his normal nonchalance either. He spoke as if they had been friends for ages. Then she was told about the devil that Issei was friends with, only further opening her eyes.

"Why are you so angry with me all the time Ise? All I want is to fix things."

She needed to know. After the revelation given to her, she had seen the way he interacted with the fallen angel woman that he was now betrothed to, she had been looking for ways to atone for her wrong doings.

The way that Issei had suggested, wasn't in her power. And she had no other ideas so far.

Issei opened his eyes, one eyebrow raised, like the question should have had an obvious answer.

"Seriously? You don't even have a clue? You took away my humanity without my permission. You told me you only did it because of Ddraig. You imprison me because I wanted to save the lives of children being murdered by a deranged church official and a rogue angel turned fallen."

His voice was getting more heated as he listed off the offenses.

"You turn me into an at will slave for Aya. You risk my life with crazy ass missions because the others can't be lost. I was a child in your care, and I was treated like I didn't matter. You and the Seraphs made me turn away from Tosca and filled her head with _bullshit!_ How _DARE_ you let her think that I don't care about her! And all because you were afraid of what I could do? What might happen if I became stronger than Michael or Dulio?"

This was the only time he would speak anymore than was necessary to get his point across. When he had forgotten his self imposed rule of how he dealt with any of the other angels. Ddraigs presence in his soul made him prone to emotional responses more so than anyone else in Heaven.

Dragons were creatures that acted on urges and instinct. And that was a large part of why Michael had the Sirens Dagger crafted. After his altercation with the White Dragon Emperor, all of the Seraphs had agreed that the dagger had indeed been a worthy investment. Sadly, herself included.

The anger in his face and voice was all well founded, she knew that.

"Well? Anything to say? You say you want to fix our…'relationship', an explanation is a start."

Gabriel was stunned silent for a moment. He actually wanted to hear her side? After he was placed on the blacklist for public duties, he'd never wanted to hear anything other than his new orders.

"The angels that interact with believers need to be true to the faith. Heaven needs those prayers in assisting Michael to power the system."

Issei sat forward in his chair, his hands laced together, elbows on his thighs as his chin rested against his knuckles.

"Have I not been faithful to you? Angry at you all or not, I've done what you ask at every turn."

Gabriel had to wonder, if God were still alive today, what would he have done in response to Issei's case. The worry that he could overthrow the throne of Heaven would have been greatly reduced. Following that line of thought, the Holy sword project probably would have never resulted in his incarceration. The dagger never made. Issei's position as a guardian, never revoked.

But then again, if God were alive, Issei would have never become an angel. He'd be dead.

Gabriel brought herself back to giving Issei an answer.

"You have Ise. None of the Seraphs doubt your loyalty. But you do not live your life by the words of our father."

Issei snorted. "Yeah…wonder why.."

The messenger of God steeled herself to try and justify at least part of their actions.

"Please understand. There's never been an angel like you before. Your sacred gear has the possibility to threaten the stability of Heaven, something that we can't leave to chance. We needed a failsafe to make sure that never came to be."

Issei stood up from his chair, having heard enough for now. He didn't even care to get any information on her assailant anymore.

"If you knew me at all….Gabriel…You'd know that I would never do that."

He walked over to the door, and stopped to get one last thing off his chest. Gabriel wanted to smile, it was the first time he'd used her name in 5 years. But she knew that was inappropriate right now.

"I've been trying to let it all go, and just forgive you. And then I remember The Holy Sword Project, Freed Sellzan, The Holy Maiden, Xenovia, Vali's juggernaut drive."

Issei turned around, looking at his king. His voice sounded as tired as he looked.

"Each time, you chose their side over mine. Each time I was proven to be in the right. But nothing changes. It used to be painful, seeing you take the Seraphs side. Now it's just exhausting hoping that it'll ever be different."

 **-LineBreak-**

Issei teleported back to the ORC room, figuring that since school hadn't been out for that long yet, Raynare would still be there.

She was the first person he saw, sitting on the edge of the couch closest to the door. Her face relaxed when she saw him appear from the cross. Other than the ever present lustful look that Saji gave her, the rest had been fine. It was just a habit of hers, to be nervous around devils by herself.

Issei smiled towards Ray.

"Hey Ray. I hope your day went well."

She nodded, then Issei saw the stares that he was getting from the rest. And then Raynare appeared to be sinking herself into the couch, trying to become invisible or something by molding herself to it.

Issei looked around the room, both peerages staring at him. And Saji looking just as pissed as he did that first day at lunch.

'What could have happened while I was gone to be treated like this all of a sudden?' He thought.

He hadn't hurt or threatened any of them. He doubted he'd be getting looks like this if Ray had done it. He checked himself over really quickly. His clothes looked a little slept in….but that didn't add up either.

Looking at his Fiancee, it clicked.

"Ray…." Issei said slowly.

She gave him the sweetest smile she could muster.

"Yes?"

Issei crossed his arms, tapping his fingers against the forearm.

"What did you say to them? I haven't been stared at like this since the campfire night."

A few of the devils looked interested in whatever story was attached to that comment.

"Maybe they're just in awe of the flashy entrance?" Ray tried to evade giving up the answer.

Based on the looks he was getting, particularly from Saji, that was highly unlikely.

Issei sighed and sat on the couch with her. He leaned back and closed his eyes, this was much better than the stiff chair in the medical ward in Heaven.

The room was still silent. As his body felt like a wound up spring from the tension built up over the last 24 hours, he posed the question to the rest in the room.

"Since Ray seems reluctant to tell me what she said, anyone care to fill me in?"

There was a shuffling sound behind him.

Two hands laid themselves on his collarbone and started kneading away the stress. Based on the feeling of the slender fingers, and the soft round objects pressing lightly into the back of his head, it was either Rias, Akeno or Tsubaki. Rias had been sitting at her desk last he looked. And Tsubaki seemed like the least likely to do something like this.

So that left Akeno.

"Akeno, your hands are _fucking_ magical." Issei groaned out. The way she rolled her fingers along the knots was pure bliss.

The hands stopped for a moment before continuing, she must have been surprised that he had guessed it was her so quickly without looking.

"And how did you guess it was me?" Her tone was playful, like she wanted him to admit that he had been checking her out all week or something.

Issei guessed that she must still be looking to get Ray jealous or something, or to fluster him.

'Good luck with that.'

"Based on the position of your fingers, and your breasts pressing against my head, it could only be you Rias or Tsubaki."

"Pervert." He could hear Koneko mutter.

Issei gave a pleased groan as he responded to the accusation.

"I have a healthy appreciation of the female body, thank you very much."

He debunked her words with a clinical reasoning that surprised the devils at how paranoid it sounded.

"I make it a habit to remember body types, never know who you'll meet in a dark alley." He gave another groan, then elaborated just how it was that he knew that Rias' queen was the culprit.

"The three of them are within two inches of each other in height, then you add in the angle of her fingers. If her breasts were smaller, they'd be angled in more, that eliminates Yura. Which would have been the only other choice. Out of those three, Rias was raised as an Heiress, we haven't known each other long enough for her to do something like that. Tsubaki hasn't uttered a single word to me all week. And Akeno seems like the teasing type. Seemed like the most logical choice to me."

Akeno chuckled as the others were all surprised by the quick deduction.

"So Akeno, what did Ray say while I was….busy?"

The massage stopped, and he could feel her leaning in closer to him.

He felt her breath on his ear as she whispered.

"She mentioned that you're relationship is quite..phyiscal…"

He could feel her pouting towards him when he didn't do anything other than give a nod and affirmative grunt.

"Ah. Surprised it took this long."

Raynare pinched him on the ribs at the slight. She knew she was bad at letting things slip when she was nervous or uncomfortable. He didn't need to rub it in.

"How much did she say exactly?" He was more curious than anything. It was her that cared more about them finding out about their sex life. Issei thought it would make him more relatable to the devils, since their species often went with whatever fetish they had and ran with it.

"That you're screwing her and your guardian, in some kinky S&M dungeon!" Saji sounded so proud of himself, like the words would be taken in a negative context.

He hadn't been a devil long, so his human mindset was still more prevalent. Once he was exposed to some of the things that devils got up to, S&M would seem like childs play.

Issei opened his eyes and sat up, staring directly at Saji for a moment, before giving them all the same look.

"Let me make a few things _very_ clear." His voice was low and threatening.

"First, Guardian and adopted parent are two very different things. and second, _You leave her out of this."_ The last part sounded like a gravelly growl.

The protectiveness was felt by all.

"I don't think a bedroom can really be called a dungeon anyway." He said offhandedly, closing his eyes again, and hoping Akeno would continue the massage.

Raynare gave a sigh of relief, the chance of him getting angry had been low, but still there. Aya was a human, and hardly able to protect herself against even a minor supernatural force.

"Saji!" Sona yelled at her pawn. She was getting tired of his jealous behavior.

The blonde boy snapped straight at the tone she used. The Sitri devil gave him a glare that promised pain.

"Your disrespect will not be tolerated further. Keep yourself in line."

"Yes ma'am!"

The tension started to ease in the room, and some idle chatter was shared between the devils, who occasionally asked either him or Raynare a question.

"Hyoudou." Sona called to him, he opened his eyes again. And he was so close to falling asleep with Akeno's tender mercies too.

"What's on your mind Kaichou?"

Sona pushed her glasses back into position, and crossed her legs one over the other.

"I asked Raynare earlier. She mentioned that you know some water magic. Would you be willing to compare techniques, maybe we could learn a thing or two from each other."

A light bulb went off in his head. He'd been thinking of a way to bring it up all week without it coming off as alarming. After the attack on Gabriel though, he wasn't so concerned about that. They should be alarmed.

"Sure thing. I can only really do that bare minimum with it though."

Issei tapped his chin, trying to make it sound like this was a spur of the moment idea, instead of something he'd been planning all along.

"Actually…Why don't we just do an overall training? I was always taught that you learn more about a person as they put their all into a fight, then just through conversation."

Rias perked up at the mention, seeing an opportunity to be presenting itself to her. She saw that her queen was looking at her, clearly thinking the same thing.

'If he can help us get stronger, I might have a chance to break free.'

Akeno was already a part of her family when she found out about the arranged marriage. Just the other day, they went through the contract in its entirety, and found one loop hole she could use.

A Rating Game.

She could fight for her freedom.

There were two glaring problems though, Riser was nearly undefeated, and had a full peerage. She had 4 members, 1 of which was sealed away. Even if she had a full peerage, there was still Riser himself and his regeneration.

As Rias was mentally deliberating on how to use this training to free herself, Sona continued the conversation.

"Not that I mind the idea, but what purpose would this serve in relation to our factions?"

"It will show that we're not just saying that we want peace, but actively doing something to preserve it. We train to better not only ourselves, but to fight beside each other. Make no mistake, at some point, someone is going to come along that doesn't like the idea of the three factions being at peace. They will come here to try and disrupt it."

As Sona looked over to see what Rias thought about the idea, she saw that her friend and fellow king was spacing out. When they each found out about this test, that was a thought that came up. One group that for certain would want to do something to stop any peace from coming, would be the Old Satan Faction. They both knew that others would share the same mindset.

"Plus, if either of you ever plan on getting in that Rating game scene the underworld seems to love so much, wouldn't it be a good idea to start preparing now?"

Rias came out of her introspection and her eyes bore into Issei, wondering if he had figured out what her current problem was. He had been given much more information then her or Sona, so they couldn't rule it out. Maybe he was baiting her into saying something?

Issei saw the way the redhead looked at him suddenly. And wondered if she was related to the side objective that Gabriel had given him. She wouldn't have told him about it when she did, if it didn't pertain to his current situation.

There was one thing he knew that all devils respected and listened to. Power. A show of strength was more effective than the best logical argument. The way that Rias looked at him, made Issei think the she was the one that would need that show of power. But why?

 **END!**

 **We're going to skip the Asia rescue mission part. Instead the characters involved in that will be a part of the Excalibur arc.**

 **Next chapter Issei learns more about Gabriel and her encounter with Cao Cao. And we meet Riser.**

 **I changed the scene from the preview in last chapter a little bit.**

 **And the talk between Issei and Kiba will happen.**


	5. Aya and Aiko

Aya rubbed at her temples, trying futilely to get the throbbing to go away.

"Maybe if you didn't drink yourself under the table last night, you wouldn't be so hungover." Her partner Aiko said teasingly.

Aiko Kagari was just a tad taller than her, and a year younger. She had taken to dying her shoulder length hair maroon, for reasons that Aya didn't understand. Although it did look nice with her forest green eyes.

They had been partners for just over two years now, one of the only female only duo in the department.

Glaring at her partner for a moment, Aya popped a few painkillers and took a large drink from her blended 'Hangover Killer', draining the rest from the shaker cup.

The base of it was a sports drink loaded with vitamins, antioxidants, electrolytes. Then 2 eggs were cracked and added, followed by squeezing a lemon, dripping in some of her favorite organic honey. And then finally, a touch of ginger.

The concoction tasted horrible, but it usually brought her back up to a semi normal state in an hour or so.

"I was pissed off, and needed a drink to cool down." Aya grumbled quietly, since a louder volume would only make the throbbing between her ears worse.

Pulling into the parking lot of an empty department store, Aiko gave her partner a curious glance after stopping, keeping the battery of the car on to listen to the radio for any needed responses.

"It doesn't seem you stopped at _one_ drink."

Aya pulled the handle to recline her seat as far it would go, looking to rest a bit and let the drink work its magic.

She didn't answer the remark from Aiko. She tried to clear her head, as thinking about why she was upset only made her stomach queasy, and head throb.

There was silence for about ten minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable, the two of them were able to just be around each other with no need for idle noise.

"Are you mad at Issei for something?" Aiko spoke up, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

Aya groaned as she sat back up, pushing her sunglasses to stay in place.

"No…Yes…Maybe."

Raising an eyebrow, Aiko waited for the rest of the answer.

Sighing, the hungover woman gave in to her partners silent demand.

"I'm a little upset with him, but more so with Gabriel. She's left him alone for the past 6 months, and he'd been pretty happy. She's called for him three times in the last week. Each time he comes back in a sour mood."

Aiko nodded, knowing that the woman Aya talked about was the source of many of the young mans problems. Being stuck in close contact with someone for hours on end, usually meant that you shared a lot about your life with each other after a while.

"What did Issei do that your mad at him?"

Aya sank back into her seat, an angry look on her face.

"Proposed to Ray." She said quietly.

Aiko was stunned, her eyes wide. At least now she understood what part of the problem was. Aya had a near obsession with Issei, from what she could tell. The woman almost never went out for drinks with coworkers, and always went straight home to be with him.

There were two occasions where she'd been able to get her partner to go out with a few other officers. Both of which were when Issei had been out somewhere. Each of those times, Aya had nearly broken the hands of a man that had gotten a little handsy. They had apparently thought she was just playing hard to get, when she said she wasn't interested.

"I thought you said that it wasn't a serious relationship between them. More of a friends with benefits kinda thing."

Aiko had at first been a little uneasy about the relationship between her partner and the young man she'd taken care of.

That was until, the two of them had run into an opponent neither were capable of handling. Then she understood the situation much better.

Aiko lost herself in thought as the memory came flooding back.

 ** _Flashback_**

 _Her and Aya had gotten a call for a well being check at a large house on the east side of the area they were covering that day._

 _A long driveway that ended in a circle, with a stone fountain in the center of it._

 _The house was a three story with a brick face, large bay windows on either side of the door._

 _Pulling up, the two of them saw that the door was slightly opened, and proceeded with caution._

 _Apparently the old man that lived in the house hadn't been seen or heard from in a while. And the neighbors he usually saw every other day were getting worried._

 _Aya went to the door first, Aiko just behind her._

 _They opened the door slowly, making their way inside as quietly as possible. With the sharp gouges in the hardwood floor, and in the wall, they were certain something had gone wrong here._

 _The only room that seemed strange, other than the marks seen just inside the door, was in the kitchen._

 _All the drawers were pulled open, knives, spoons, forks, and other utensils were all over the place. It looked like someone was digging for something frantically._

 _Walking back to the front, the two of them proceeded up the stairs, weapons drawn and ready just in case._

 _The second floor was swept carefully, finding nothing. Dusty bedrooms that hadn't been used in probably over a decade, an office with so much clutter that a path needed to be formed to get to the other side._

 _The third floor, Aiko finally saw what her coworkers had meant, when they said that Aya had nerves of steel._

 _Coming to the landing on the top floor, the women stepped alongside the right wall, checking each doorway as they went._

 _As they got closer to the end, Aya stopped them. Upon listening closely, a crunching sound could be heard._

 _They both released the safety on their weapons, preparing themselves._

 _"Freeze! Police!" Is what they would have said, after coming inside._

 _But the words were silenced by the….beast…they saw, gnawing on the corpse of what had once been the old man they'd heard about._

 _The thing before them was large and bulky, dark green patches on its skin. It had taken off the mans leg, and turned to them as it was bringing it up to its mouth to eat it._

 _Seeing two human women in front of it, the beast stood up, snarling dangerously. It had the remnants of what looked like fairly expensive clothing, but it was too ripped and dirty to really tell._

 _When at its full height the monster stood at what must have been 8 feet. Its face looked like a mix between a monkey and a lizard, its orange glowing eyes just staring at them like its next meal._

 _Aya raised her gun to at the monsters chest._

 _"Don't you fucking move…" her words were ice cold._

 _Aiko couldn't do anything but stare at it in frozen horror. Never had she seen something so grotesque._

 _What looked to be a smirk came over its face, then it lunged at the two of them with a speed that neither could match._

 _Aya fired three shots that met empty air._

 _The beast reappeared in front of them, one arm already in a swinging motion._

 _It slammed into both of their bodies, sending them to the wall on the side of the room, and collapsing to the ground in pain._

 _Aiko opened one eye, and saw the monster stalking towards them. Panic started to set in, not wanting to meet the same fate of the man they came to check on._

 _Aya had started to stir, but their enemy was already upon them._

 _A flash of golden light came from her partner once Aya opened her eyes in a glare._

 _An ornate dagger came slashing at the monsters arm that was reaching down to grab Aya._

 _The thing caught her wrist effortlessly, giving Aiko the chance to see the weapon that had come from nowhere._

 _A gold handle, with a large emerald embedded at the rounded bottom. The blade was serrated and almost looked like it was made half out of bone, and the other half of steel._

 _Aya finally started to look nervous as the beast had her in its clutches._

 _Thinking that her life was soon to be over, Aiko started pleading in her head._

 _'Someone, anyone…._ ** _please_** _, help us!' She felt a warmth in her pocket, but ignored it._

 _"With the strings of my lyre, I enchant! By the sound of my voice I command! Answer to the Sirens Call!"_

 _Aiko saw the dagger shine brightly, and a similar color coming from the floor behind the beast after Aya's strange chant._

 _She failed to see the red circle at the doorway as well._

 _The two women and the beast were able to see after the flash of light, and a yell came from the monster holding onto Aya's wrist. That yell turned almost instantly into a gurgle._

 _What appeared to be a solid structure of light, burst through the monsters skull._

 _Aiko was now even more terrified at seeing things that could only be from a fantasy story. And the fanatical monster before her being ended like it was nothing._

 _She could see the profile of her partners face. But didn't understand why she had that wistful smile._

 _The beast had started to fall forward towards Aya, only to be stopped by whatever had appeared behind it. And was then thrown away to the side._

 _Aiko gasped at what she saw._

 _A teenage boy, around 15 years old she could guess. He stood there with concern written all over his face._

 _He stood shirtless and wet, his baggy pajama pants having moisture on them as well. Clearly having pulled them on just before arriving here, probably just after bathing._

 _What surprised Aiko was the 8 wings coming from his back, along with the halo above his head. And on the right side of his chest, was a mark glowing the same gold that the dagger had._

 _A ring of feathers, with some sort of old looking string instrument in the center. She cringed, as it looked like it was_ ** _carved_** _into his chest with a blade._

 _The teen boy knelt down to Aya, bringing her into a tight hug, which she easily returned._

 _The strange events of the last few minutes had left her unable to speak, her human mind overloaded with things that she had written off as fiction._

 _"Were you called here as well?" She heard the boy say, still looking at Aya. Both him and her partner looked over to the doorway. She followed their line of sight, and saw another young man, taller than the winged one._

 _Black hair, violet eyes, and a build that screamed of hidden strength. His face was just north of neutral, as he watched the scene that had played out before him._

 _"I was. You arrived just before me, so I stayed out of your way. I figured an 8 winged angel was more than enough."_

 _the boy nodded to the other._

 _"I see. Was this one not reported to be in the area?"_

 _After a moment, the black haired male answered._

 _"Not sure. I don't hold any human realm territory, so I wouldn't have been told if the stray was here. Which makes me wonder…How did a human get a flyer of mine?"_

 ** _END FLASHBACK_**

Aiko brought herself out of her memory of how she met Issei and Sairaorg, and looked over to her partner.

"So are you and Issei not an item anymore?"

Aya scoffed at the thought.

"Him and I will be together until one of us dies. No one can change that. Not Ray, not Gabriel."

with anyone else, Aiko would have questioned the stability of a relationship where the man was involved with another woman as possessive as Aya. But Aiko knew that supernatural people operated differently.

She'd heard of how devils reincarnated people as their servants. And if a devil had sex with their servants, there was nothing that persons spouse could say or do about it.

"And Ray's ok with that?" Her tone was a little more edgy than she meant it to be.

Aya caught onto it, but didn't let it effect her own. She nodded, then her face grew sour.

"Yea…From what she said…it's more likely that he'll have others too…"

Even through the thick sunglasses, Aiko could see the glare that Aya had.

"Ray mentioned some of the girls in the new school that Gabriel transferred him into. Apparently they're warming up to him rather quickly. Fucking sluts."

It still boggled her mind. How did women from that walk of life accept that their husband would almost undoubtedly sleep with others? She had the facts, but the ideology behind it still confused her.

"I still don't get how those women can be alright with that.." She voiced her confusion.

Aya was rubbing her temples again.

"I asked Issei that same question before. Apparently, there's about a 5 to 1 female to male ratio. Issei is almost guaranteed to have women pining after him his whole life. A multi-partner relationship is all that some of them have ever known." She sounded defeated, reluctant, and afraid at the end.

Aiko didn't like it when her partner acted like this, it made the rest of their shift awkward. She reached over and squeezed her partners shoulder. A small bit of understanding suddenly coming to her. It was really only applicable in this situation. And with only one other woman in mind.

"Even I know that he'd never do anything to purposely hurt you, and I've only met the guy a few times. He's supposed to live for thousands of years right? At least this way…He won't be alone once you're gone. I can only imagine how hard that'll be for him."

Any further conversation was taken away from the frantic voice over the police radio.

 _"_ ** _10-33 10-35! 10-33 10-35! UNIT 417 REQUESTING ANYONE ON NORTHSIDE TO RESPOND TO Ogata Dental! 7 HOSTILES! THEY FUCKING BUTCHERED PEOPLE INSIDE!"_**

The voice of their fellow officer brought Aiko out of her desire to soothe her friend and partner. Aya completely forgot about her hangover at hearing the radio call.

10-33 was the code for an emergency, 10-35 meant a major crime alert.

This was what they both signed up for. Catch the bad guys. And they just happened to be a little over a mile away at the moment. Throwing the car into gear, flipping the switch for the lights and sirens, the duo mentally prepared themselves for action.

When they got on scene, the man that made the distress call was dead, an arm dangling by a thread of muscle tissue, his head caved in by a blunt object.

They found what was guessed to 13 bodies inside. It was hard to tell, because they were all in pieces. Aya and Aiko were the only two that didn't need to go outside and throw up from the violence in front of them.

 **END!**

 **I'm curious on how you guys like the focus of Aya and Aiko for a short chapter. it won't be too often, that they'll be the sole focus of a chapter. When they are, it'll be a shorter one…More for backstory than anything else.**


	6. 5 - Painful reveal

**Finally I can upload! Damn site wouldn't let me do it yesterday. Anyway, someone just recently reviewed, saying aya has been poorly portrayed so far. Yes, yes she has. I've only shown her at her bad points.**

"Are you sure you want everyone to hear this boyo?" Issei directed his question to Kiba as Both the student council and ORC were present and awaiting the story about to be told.

Kiba closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he nodded.

"Okay then, I gave you the choice. Remember that when they all start looking at you differently." Issei took a moment to ready his thoughts and began his story.

The story that led him to put an end to the Holy Sword Project.

"Lend me your ears, open your hearts, for my story does now start."

"Ise, why do you have to use that stupid old saying…" Ray said with an exasperated sigh at his antics.

"Hey, Don't get all judgey on me, it's a classic way of starting a story! Anyways, lets get on with it."

The full blooded fallen rolled her eyes.

 _I had been an angel for about 6 months, when one day, I started to hear whispers. I was alone at the time, and they didn't sound like they were voices in the distance._

 _At first, I thought that maybe Ddraig was just trying to pull a prank on me. But he isn't good enough to change his deep voice into what sounded like a little girl._

 _I ignored it for a while, thinking that maybe the training I was going through was making me hallucinate._

 _When I had been given two days of rest, and the whispers were still happening, I felt that I had to say something._

 _Gabriel was out at the time, and being a joker kind of sets me out of the usual chain of command. So I took it to one of the only other angels that I had talked to at that point, Gabriels queen, Griselda._

 _Griselda brushed it off as the overactive mind of a child. At least until I tried to describe what I was hearing._

 _That was when I learned that Gabriel being the messenger of God was a far deeper role than most people realized._

 _She didn't just relay messages from the big guy down to the church or whoever it was directed to. No…The majority of prayers went directly through her, unless the system deemed them urgent enough to give it directly to God._

 _We all know that pretty much every faction is at less then full strength these days, what with more and more people being either non-religious, or inactive followers. So the system that God set up isn't working at the level it used to._

 _For whatever reason, I was starting to hear the prayers of a select group of individuals. To this day, no one is 100% certain why it happened._

 _But I digress. Griselda unfortunately, wasn't really able to help me find out more information on who's prayers I was hearing, or where they were coming from._

 _All I could really hear through the jumbled mess of it was….Help me. Take me away from here._

 _After about a week of listening to it, Gabriel finally returned and I approached her about my little discovery. After some digging, she told me that it was already being monitored, so I didn't have to worry about it._

 _Being an almost 12 year old boy with very little knowledge on the workings of the supernatural world, I did as I was told. At first anyways._

 _A few more days passed, and the prayers got stronger, more desperate and filled with pain._

 _I approached the angel that I had been told was watching over the place where the voices in my head were coming from. He just said that I didn't need to worry about it._

 _That night, I was trying to sleep when it was like a wrecking ball was bouncing through my skull. The Prayers had gotten vastly louder and the contents drearier._

 _Now they were only asking that at least someone from the group make it out alive, that God give the rest a peaceful slumber after they died._

 _That was the point where I absolutely_ ** _had_** _to check things out for myself._

 _I wasn't good at teleporting yet, so I had to trek through a mile of the deep snow to get to the small and worn down church that looked like it hadn't been used in 50+ years._

 _I walked in, and right away I could feel the place was just…..wrong…_

 _For an angel, a church is supposed to feel…. uplifting, reassuring. Basically it makes us feel good._

 _But this one just radiated hopelessness and malice._

 _I ran to where the feeling was coming from, and ended up at a dead end in the upper floors._

 _It was then that I heard a man saying to…dispose of the test subjects, and prepare to find more._

 _The voice had been coming from below me, through a hole in the floor._

 _I wasn't exactly a smart kid, so when I couldn't find anything, I ran back outside to try and find another way in._

 _And at the back of the building, I saw a small window. When I looked through it, I saw a large group of kids huddled together, with church members at each corner and doorway with a gas mask on, light swords and rifles ready to attack if any of the kids moved too much._

 _I froze when the gas started pumping into the room, and the kids were choking, unable to breathe._

 _After the first two fell and didn't move, I blasted a hole in the wall, letting most of the gas out that way. Not that it did much good by that point._

 _Most of the kids were unconscious, and the exorcists started to come at me. Even at 11, almost 12 years old, I was stronger then the full grown men, and quickly took most of them out._

 _More came down the steps, this time all of them had guns pointed directly at the three still standing and at myself._

 _They shot the taller boy straight in the head, and I stretched my wings and grabbed the other two that hadn't fallen yet. A boy and a girl._

 _I tried to fly out through the hole I made with them under each arm, when I got hit by a bullet in the forearm, making me drop the girl just outside of the church._

 _I held on tight to the boy and pumped my wings as hard as I could to get him away to a safe distance, placing him a few hundred yards away, and started my way back to grab the girl._

 _When I got back, the girl was in a sort of bubble, and the exorcists were surrounding her._

 _At that point, I had killed 7 members of the church, with 13 more surrounding her._

 _After one of my spears took off one of the bastards heads, the others started shooting at me. let it be known, that a pissed of preteen angel with a dragon sacred gear beats grown man with a rifle._

 _When I was down to the last two, Oriel, the angel who was supposed to be watching over what was happening there appeared in front of me._

 _He told me that I was a traitor for stopping the church from gaining more holy sword wielders. He said that the lives of a few were nothing compared to the lives of many._

 _When I said that he was worse than the pedophile priests for letting this happen to kids, he attacked me….and Fell from heaven._

 _When I saw his wings turn black right before my eyes, I knew that he was going to try and kill me. It was pretty lucky that both of us were only 2 winged angels at the time._

 _If he'd had 4 or more, I wouldn't have been able to take him down, even with Ddraigs help._

 _But I did. I got a lucky shot and pierced him with a short light sword through the heart. The last two exorcists had run off, and I had no way to track them at the time._

 _So I grabbed the girl, and went to grab the boy before I returned to heaven. When I got there, he was gone._

 _I couldn't search very far or long, because the girl needed to be looked at, so I had to give up and return to heaven with just her._

 _She was taken to the medical wing right away, and I was summoned to sit before the seraphs._

 _I told them what happened. About the whispers growing stronger, about what Oriel said to me, about what I saw and what I did. About killing the exorcists and Oriel._

 _They didn't believe me. They didn't believe a word that came out of my mouth, because my actions should have made me fall. I asked them if angels could even lie without falling….which only made things worse._

 _They couldn't fathom that an angel that had been around since the great war, with no known outbursts even close to anything like that, would allow something like this to happen._

 _But a normal angel isn't able to lie, nor should they be capable of the slaughter I had given without even a flicker of my wings._

 _So they locked me in Heavens jail until things could get sorted out, under the pretense of being prepared for a trial for treason._

 _A week later, I was released and told that I was to report for testing. No one apologized for locking me up, or said that i'd done the right thing. They were too ashamed of what had gone on right under their noses, and too stubborn to apologize to a kid._

 _When they found out that I couldn't fall over 2 years later, they took me out of the usual angel duties. From then on, I was the dark secret of Heaven. Something that other angels whispered rumors about to each other, but few concrete details ever manifested._

Ending his story, Issei waited for the reaction from the devils. He had left out the part of his incarceration where Michael had made the Sirens dagger, and the part where the symbol was carved into him as soon as those doors opened after that week imprisonment.

It looked as though his story had shocked most of them.

"So….moral of the story, is this." Issei said, raising a finger.

"While heaven and the church are part of the same overall group, there is a divide amongst them. You're angry with an entire faction over something that only 2 people were able to control."

Kiba leaned forward in his chair, hands steepled together, elbows on his knees.

"If the holy sword project was never truly approved by Heaven, why was nothing done about it? Why didn't God do anything about it?" His voice was carefully controlled.

Everyone could tell that he was indeed trying to keep calm, like Issei had asked of him. It was a commendable effort, given what they were told.

"Free will." Issei answered simply, causing a confused expression to come over most of the devils in the room,

"I don't follow what you mean." The Gremory knight responded.

"Heaven preaches the free will of mankind. They don't typically interfere with the affairs of the human world directly. Instead, offering guidance to humans who seek it….Or in other words, their faithful followers. It's what separated God from other deities in the first place."

Sona adjusted the glasses onto their proper place.

"Rather than be appeased with sacrificial offerings like other pantheons have done for eons. He offered an eternity in peace, the only requirement being to live a life close to his guidelines."

Issei nodded, over the course of the days he'd spent around this group, it was quite obvious that Sona Sitri was the smartest of them all by far.

"Exactly."

The bespectacled king eyed Issei carefully. Her initial concerns over the arrival of him and Raynare was only slightly shifted after spending time with them.

It was plain to see that he did indeed want peace. But the story relayed to them just now raised more questions.

'If something like that were to happen in the underworld, the person in question would more than likely be labeled a stray.' She faded out of the conversation being had, as her mind tried to put everything together.

'A week of imprisonment, some sort of testing…No doubt there was some other punishment handed down. Some way to _know_ that he would not be a problem.'

But she couldn't come up with anything that made sense. He was still a rather high rank in heaven, especially if they trusted him to be here with them.

She would just have to bring it up with Rias. Hopefully she would be reasonable and listen, because she seemed to be taking a great liking to him.

"How about we get back to that training?" Issei clapped as he stood.

 **-LineBreak-**

The queen of hearts was not feeling quite like herself, and hadn't for the past 2 days.

Her search had yielded nothing. Not a trace to be found of where the excalibur fragment had gone. After crossing the borders of the UK, it simply vanished.

Coming back to heaven, she recalled the only good part of the trip. Watching Xenovia continue to improve and strive for further progress did her heart some good. The blue haired girl was as stubborn as they came, but her heart was in the right place. The Shidou girl was a good influence on her.

Now if she could only stop Xenovia from seeing anyone outside of the church as heretics worthy of divine punishment.

But that would take time. It had been engrained into her very being before Griselda started looking after the Durandal wielder.

It was a strange thing to witness the change in some of the orphanages after Issei had been pulled away. She couldn't say for certain that him no longer coming around was the reason, but the timing, along with the changes in other institutions made that idea the most probable.

The one in the Vatican, where Xenovia had lived, turned into a near militaristic establishment. At least until the Queen of Hearts showed up.

Structure was all well and good, but driving the kids to exhaustion every day was not. They were only children, and should be able to enjoy the freedoms that come along with that.

As she walked along the path leading from the first heaven to the floors above, Griselda was deliberately taking her time heading up to the 6th.

She wanted as much time to gather her thoughts for the report she would have to give the Seraphs as she could get. And after that…The king and queen would sit down and have a conversation that she was sure neither wanted to have.

But after seeing how much further Issei had degraded from the last time she saw him, Griselda felt it was time that she be brought up to speed. Surprisingly, Gabriel had agreed.

The reluctant way in which the King of hearts said that she would fill her in after the report, was what had Griselda dragging her feet.

Gabriel was not one to needlessly withhold information, and only kept secrets that needed to be kept.

So that had told Griselda, that whatever had been happening with Issei these last few years, hadn't been information that she needed to know. That was fine.

But the fact that Gabriel was now going to be giving her that information spoke of a change. A drastic one. Whatever it was, either Gabriel herself, or the seraphs as a whole were concerned about where it could lead.

As Griselda refocused on her environment, and where she was walking, she noticed that she'd already walked halfway through the 5th heaven.

With a sigh, she steeled herself for what was undoubtedly a report of her own failure.

By the time she knocked on the door to where the report would be given, Griselda had come up with a list of questions in case the explanation didn't enlighten enough of the situation.

The double door to the meeting room was painted as they all were.

A pure white with gold handles, large enough for even the enormous rook of Sirzechs Lucifer to fit through.

"Ah, Griselda, you're just in time." The leader of Heaven spoke with his usual calm smile.

The queen of hearts took a knee and bowed her head to the leaders before her.

"Rise, Griselda. You know that such formalities aren't necessary."

Standing back to her full height, Griselda took notice of the lack of people in the room.

Sweeping from left to right, her eyes only caught the 4 great seraphs, instead of the usual 10.

"Are we to wait for the rest of the Seraphs Lord Michael?" She asked, with only a minute raise of her brow beneath her hood.

As Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael pulled out the seats at the wood table, Michael answered.

"No, the others are dealing with another matter at the moment. Please, begin with your report."

She stepped forward towards the table, stopping a few feet in front of it, and centered with the leaders before her.

She took a breath and began to tell of her failure.

"As it had been reported, the excalibur in England has been stolen. The damage to the church itself was minimal, leading me to believe that the culprit had been given extensive knowledge of the layout and how many people would be in the vicinity at the time of the attack."

The 4 Seraphs all looked unsettled at that.

"Do you think we have a traitor amongst us?" Raphael, the most average looking of the group asked. His features being dark brown hair and eyes, along with an average height of about 5'9.

Shaking her head, Griselda gave her reasoning.

"No. Not in Heaven anyway. The protection around the sword appears to have been taken down slowly. If an Angel had been the one to give the information, they would have also included how to undo the seal quickly. This incident appears to have human influence."

While not happy with her answer, the Seraphs did relax a bit at those words.

"A member of the church then."

"I believe so." Griselda answered to her King.

"Please continue." Michael urged her on.

"Of course." Griselda made a magical hologram, a map of western Europe, with a red circle at the location of the incident.

"As has already been reported, the sword was carried south, where it then vanished without a trace."

Griselda shifted the map to encompass all of the eastern world, White lights on five other locations. 1 on the Vatican, 1 on Poland, 1 on Russia, 1 on Japan.

"These are the known, long term homes for each blade. Transparency in England, Rapidly in Poland, Blessing and Destruction in the Vatican, Nightmare in Russia, and Mimic in Japan."

With her magic, Griselda made a solid line along the path that she had been able to sense where Transparency had gone. It had jumped the canal south from England, and into France. From there, two dotted lines split off and in different directions.

"My immediate concern, was whether or not the culprit was after the other blades."

One of the dotted lines traveled south through France, and along the coast of Italy towards the Vatican.

"If that were the case, then the Vatican would have been the next most likely target, being the home of 2 shards. I followed that path in search of anything that seemed out of the ordinary, finding nothing."

The other line, after reaching land in France, went straight east.

"Afterwards, I traveled back to the last known point, and headed east towards Poland. Again….I found nothing."

Dispelling the map, Griselda sighed.

"If there was a magical signature of where the blade has gone. It is one that I am not able to track or sense in the slightest. There are no abnormalities I could detect around either the Vatican, or anywhere near Warsaw."

There were a few moments of silence, as the Seraphs took in all of that information.

"What made you take the path towards the Vatican first, rather than heading east initially?"

The question was from Uriel, in his typical serious and upfront attitude. Griselda was not at all surprised he'd be the one to ask that.

"With the Transparency blade in their possession, I felt that the Vatican would have been the most likely next target. If either Destruction or blessing were to be in their hands as well, the others would be far easier to obtain."

It was logic that wasn't hard to follow. If the one to steal Transparency was somehow able to use it, acquiring another would be far easier. And then, if that same wielder held Destruction, the effects would just domino from there. Or if this was the result of a group, and the blessing blade was used on the transparency _or_ destruction wielder, who knew what could come of that.

But while the Seraphs all knew that the immediate danger of another theft was the main concern, there was also the possibility that the thief could bide their time.

This could be the case of someone planning something who wasn't ready for their next stage yet.

And with being unable to sense where the blade had gone, it would do no good to head to Russia at any other point other than when they were in the process of trying to steal it.

Japan was also useless, because the blade wasn't there. It had been in the hands of the Shidou family for years. And they were currently in England, mere miles away from where the theft occurred.

 **-LineBreak-**

The whole time Griselda was giving her report, Gabriel was only getting more and more nervous.

They were about to have a conversation that would no doubt upset her queen. But as much as she disliked that thought, there was a more powerful hope that Griselda would be able to help her reconnect with her Joker.

They were by no means close friends, but the queen of hearts didn't hold the same feeling as the majority of Heaven towards Issei. Even a slightly positive outlook would be helpful. And just maybe, Griselda could give her some advice on how to reduce the distance between king and joker.

As the other Seraphs left the room through their own crosses, the two remaining members of the deck of hearts stayed in the respective seats.

Gabriel was taking measured breaths to keep her nerves from showing.

Griselda on the other hand, had a look of curious expectation on her face.

"Lady Gabriel, would you like to postpone this conversation? With everything going on, The Excalibur theft, along with your recent assault, I would understand."

Gabriel smiled towards her queen. It was a tempting offer, but Griselda must have read her nerves the wrong way.

"No Griselda, this talk is long overdue I think."

One deep breath, and a shift in her seat, Griselda began.

"Okay then, shall we just dive right in?" Gabriel nodded with a weak smile.

"Why is Issei so far removed from Heaven? When I saw him in your hospital room, I would have gone so far as to say that he _hates_ Heaven.

But that would be an impossible thing. We can't hate, I don't think even Issei could stay a pure angel through an emotion as negatively charged as that."

'She knows how to load a question…thats for sure.' Gabriel thought.

"That explanation would encompass the entire time i've known him."

Griselda rose an eyebrow, setting her hands on her lap and sitting straight up. Gabriel got the message. _Go on then. I have time._

Gabriel readied herself to reveal what was, in her opinion, one of the worst ongoing ways she'd ever handled a situation.

"A little over 6 years ago, we received word from the devils that one of their own was in a relationship with an exorcist in Japan. At the time, there was some unrest due to the string of attacks in Israel. After some debate, it was decided that to maintain the state of the ceasefire, the couple needed to be…dealt with."

Gabriel watched as the implication of those words ran through her mind. Her queens brow furrowed as the realization struck.

"You mean, they were sentenced to death, without being aware of it. Nor were they called to a hearing, or trial."

Gabriel nodded sadly.

"Tensions were high, and there had been over a hundred deaths on ours and the devils side in just a few months. An inter-faction relationship was _not_ something that we could allow at the time. If one of the two were to be killed in a similar brawl, we worried that it would only escalate into further conflict, and weakening the cease fire."

As much as she didn't want to, Griselda had to see her kings side of the issue. While the life of one was precious, if that one life was placing millions in the balance along with it…. That one life was expendable.

"I see."

Gabriel cleared her throat to continue.

"A devil that was deemed capable enough was dispatched to do it, while I and another angel that is no longer pure watched in case help was needed."

Griselda rose an eyebrow at that. 6 years ago, she must have been in the Vatican with Xenovia, helping to train her. She would spend weeks at a time in the human world, have a few days break, and then return.

There hadn't been _too_ many angels that had been recorded as falling from grace in the last century, and only three in the last decade.

'6 years ago….that would have been…'

"Lahash?" the queen asked.

Gabriel nodded.

"Yes. Lahash and I watched, to ensure that it was handled appropriately. I was called for a briefing on the state of the current holy sword wielders, and gave Lahash permission to do as he saw fit. Our priority was to make sure that no other church members or devils entered the battle site."

Gabriel swallowed harshly, coming to her least favorite part of this story.

"When I came back, Lahash was in the same spot, at the judgement pool. We had run the devil through the system. Much to the surprise of both myself and Lahash, Cleria Belial was as pure of heart and soul as a devil can be. The system had even deemed her worthy of entry into third heaven."

Griselda was wide eyed for only a moment, the disbelief clear on her face.

"A devil allowed into heaven? Surely thats a mistake. But why run her through judgement in the first place?"

"I ran it myself the second time, just to be sure. It was an attempt to calm ourselves, wanting to see something that could justify what was being carried out. But the memories played through the pool only showed her as a peaceful and loving individual. I was considering allowing her entry, until everything started to go wrong."

Griselda could tell this was where Issei came into the story, based on the change in tone of the Seraph. She listened closely to each and every detail given.

"The barrier that had been put in place was to keep humans out, as anything stronger would have alerted the two. But…. A group of humans managed to walk right into it. And came upon the sight of the 2 devils and exorcist fighting."

Griselda knew at least a part of how Issei had become a Brave Saint. She knew that his parents had died in a supernatural altercation, and Gabriel had taken him into her service immediately after.

"3 human adults, one female teenager, and a young boy whose body was slowly shutting down."

This was a part She hadn't heard before. Issei had been _dying_ , before coming to Heaven?

"Issei was ill?"

Gabriel nodded sadly.

"Yes, the cause is unknown, even to us. But his organs were slowly shutting down. He would have died within a year, two at the most."

Quickly moving back to the main topic, Gabriel continued.

"I found out after the fact, that they were allowed into the barrier because Issei carried the boosted gear. Normally, a sacred gear wouldn't have been able to do such a thing. But because he held a dragon in his soul, Issei was never truly a full blooded human, and thus being deemed as a supernatural being, was allowed to enter."

"The devil sent to kill the couple had wounded the exorcist fatally if he didn't receive immediate medical attention. That was when Issei, his parents, and their two friends appeared and were attacked."

"His parents stepped in front of him, but were quickly killed, as the devil thought it was back up for the exorcist. After which he dismembered the older sister of Aya Minami. Aya had been holding onto Issei, trying to stop him from seeing what was happening. When he struggled enough and caught a glimpse of his parents, his emotions woke Ddraig up."

Griselda didn't need to hear what would happen next, she'd seen it once before. When fueled by his emotions, Issei's normally light brown eyes would turn into an emerald green, and all of that emotion would be placed into a single, powerful attack.

"The three of them had been killed before we could do anything, when the devil turned to Issei and Aya, I started to transport myself and Lahash down to intervene. But Lahash refused, saying that the job was already completed, as the exorcist would bleed out in a few minutes."

Griselda remembered all too well how Lahash had been during her first years in Heaven. Stoic and analytical. His purpose was to interfere in situations where humans were coming too close to swaying the divine will of the system since gods death. She was not disheartened to hear of his fall from grace specifically, only that heaven had lost another member.

"When I arrived, the devil sent to execute the couple had been killed by Issei manifesting enough energy to blow a hole through the devils midsection. I heard his prayer as he fell unconscious, asking for his parents to rest in peace. The amount of power he'd used had shortened his life even further."

Gabriel looked into her queens blue eyes. Steeling herself to reveal all the ways in which she'd failed Issei.

"You asked me why Issei acts the way he does…"

Griselda met her kings eyes, ready to finally hear what she'd wanted to know.

"It's because I reincarnated him with the main goal of having Ddraig join our ranks. The long, healthy, and hopefully happy life it would give Issei was a mere bonus."

Griselda felt her shock deepen further and further as Gabriel listed off what she and the seraphs had done, or refused to do in some cases.

"Because we never listened to him when he said that children were being killed by the church."

"Because we wrongly imprisoned him after he killed Oriel and the Holy sword project staff."

"Because we crafted a weapon that turned Issei into a slave."

"Because that weapon escalated Aya's possessive tendencies and paranoia, and she raped him."

"Because when we learned that he couldn't fall, we took away the only friends he had."

"Because Tosca was told that he didn't care for her. Because we forced him to abandon Asia Argento just before she truly needed him."

"Because Aya is drinking herself to an early grave due to the trauma of seeing her sister cut to pieces."

"Because I never…." Her voice trailed off as her throat hitched and she felt the weight of her transgressions get the better of her.

She continued as the tears slowly started to build.

"Because I never took the time to get to know him, to care for him like I should have. Because I thought that, one day, we'd have to seal him the same way as Samael."

Slowly, the tears made their way from her normally cheerful blue eyes, and down her cheeks.

"Because we Seraphs told him, that we'd offer him to a devil if it meant a chance at peace."

She closed her eyes, trying to force the tears to stop. This wasn't a time for crying. She wanted to confess to her queen all the ways she and the Seraphs had driven Issei to this point. And if possible, find a way to make it up to him.

"And because even though I know all the pain and anger i've caused him, I have no idea how to fix it."

Griselda just sat there, slowly absorbing each and every thing that Gabriel had said.

It was…almost too much.

But her kings request was all to clear. Gabriel was asking how to get Issei to open up to her. How to make up for the things she's put him through.

A few things stuck out in her mind.

It wasn't Issei that Gabriel had wanted, it was Ddraig. Issei just happened to be attached to him at the time.

Hearing that Issei couldn't fall was less of a surprise then the others. She had heard of his sexual relationship with the woman that he'd been living with since his release from heaven. But the…sexual assault…was new. She assumed that he had implemented some sort of loophole she didn't know of.

And this….weapon, that she mentioned. She knew nothing of this.

"Lady Gabriel." She started, her voice and wording making it clear that she was appalled at the things she'd heard.

Gabriel wiped at her tears and eyed the queen of hearts.

"What is this…weapon, you spoke of?"

"The sirens dagger. After Issei ended the holy sword project, and he told us of what had transpired, The Seraphs were all worried of what he could do without falling, before we learned that he would never be at risk for that. Michael had it crafted from a recently deceased Siren and enchanted. We all agreed that there was a danger that he could rebel and shift how our followers viewed heaven."

After a moment, Griselda nodded that she understood their line of thinking, even if she didn't agree with it.

"The mark was carved on his chest. We…no.. _I_ , had to put him into a lucid hypnotic state for the magic to be placed. So if we ever had to stop him, we could do so without fighting or bloodshed."

Griselda winced at that. They had placed him in a state were he was fully aware of what was going on around him, but his body would only act as commanded. So Issei had to _feel_ this dagger slice through his skin, _as a child_ , and could do nothing to alleviate the pain. He couldn't scream, he couldn't flail, nothing.

"The dagger was given to Aya since they live together and the relationship between them, but Michael can summon it at any time."

Griselda was about to ask why they let the human woman, who was obviously not in the right state to be wielding such a thing, keep the dagger when Gabriel spoke.

"There was a scheduled meeting about whether or not Aya should continue to hold the dagger, or if it should be locked away in the armory until needed. But then, Issei met the White Dragon Emperor, and the fight had escalated to both using their juggernaut drive."

"I had only been alerted of the fight when Issei had been seriously injured, when he took the powers of Albion and defeated his opponent. I told Michael that when I arrived, I witnessed Aya bringing Issei out of his juggernaut drive. He took that to mean that she used the dagger to do it, and I never corrected him."

Griselda gave her king an accusing look, and Gabriel relented to it.

"Since the death of Oriel, I had kept myself from feeling anything for Issei. Like I said earlier, I thought that we would one day have to seal him away. I didn't want to deal with the pain of doing that to someone I cared for again."

Now that Griselda knew that Issei couldn't fall, which was something she didn't want to _try_ and comprehend, there was really only one more thing that she wanted clarification on.

"And the….rape?" She stated the word reluctantly.

Having been a part of the church for her entire life, Griselda had come across multiple victims coming to her for help. Almost every single one had trust issues for years afterwards. She doubted that Issei would be any different.

"A result of placing issues on a list of importance unfortunately."

At the look confusion on Griseldas face, Gabriel elaborated.

"When Issei was brought to heaven, we were still dealing with the fact that the ceasefire was approaching an end if nothing was done. No one, myself included, thought about what effect seeing that level of violence would have on Aya. By the time the topic of altering her memories of the event came to the table, she'd already been given the dagger. The concern then, was if we altered her memory, there was a possibility she would forget she had the dagger. That, or that she would forget how to use it."

Altering the human mind was a tricky thing to do. At least in a way that wouldn't effect some other memories. And the knowledge on the dagger, was directly linked to how she had come to possess it.

"The trauma of losing her sister, has made Aya extremely possessive of Issei, as he's the closest thing to family she has now. The things that Issei has gone through has made him more mature than the average young man his age. So when she looks at him, Aya doesn't see the child that's been living with her for over 5 years. She sees the young man that has gone through the same pain as her. Who has helped to give her a life that even resembles a normal one. Who's cared for, and loved her. The fear of being alone, or that he would reject her, is what made Aya use the dagger, taking away any choice he had in the matter."

Griselda had a foul taste in her mouth from this subject. As sex was something foreign to a large portion of the church, or at least the respectable higher ranking members.

"And what about the fact that he was 13….?" Her low voice tried to hide how much she disapproved of the act.

She could see the understanding in Gabriels eyes.

"The federal age of consent is 13 in Japan."

She paused for a moment.

"Griselda, you know Issei on a level that i'm only just now trying to get to. Do you truly believe that he would deny her anything she asked of him? Even if Aya had asked him to have sex with her, do you believe he'd say no?"

Griselda knew the answer immediately. No, the Joker of hearts would never say no to her. He'd never denied doing anything for herself, Gabriel, or any other angel that she knew of.

He was very, _very_ angry with them, for reasons that she now understood better. But he had never refused to do anything asked of him.

When Xenovia, her own foster sister, had killed a vampire after calling him a blasphemous disease ridden heretic, she had almost caused a war between the Romanian species and the church. But Issei had managed to appeal to their older style of dealing with disputes.

He challenged them. The fight would determine the outcome of how to handle what she had done.

He had faced 5 of their race by himself. While they would be out to kill, he had promised to be non-lethal and only incapacitate them. Which he had done with an almost frightening level of ease.

"That was one of the moments i'm most ashamed of." Gabriel broke Griselda out of her train of thought.

She eyed her king once more, and saw the regret clear on her face.

"I found him the next morning, in Eden. He was by the tree that we had always sat by when he first came to be an angel, crying and grabbing at the mark on his chest."

Gabriel seemed to not be looking at what was in front of her anymore, instead replaying the memory.

"I heard him whispering to himself. He said ' _if you only just asked me..'_. I could have gone to him, tried to ease the pain of the mark, or for what had been done to him. We made eye contact, and I just turned around and walked away."

Griselda changed the subject to something that had come up during her conversation with Issei in the hospital ward of Heaven. She couldn't take this topic any longer. Hearing much more of this would push her temper over the edge that it was teetering on.

Under no circumstance did she want Gabriel to be on the receiving end of _that._

"What assignment is Issei currently on? The way he spoke made it seem like he was concerned that the Excalibur theft would effect his own mission."

Gabriels face shifted into a serious expression, only a slight difference from what she'd seen on him that afternoon in the hospital.

"If this incident is as bad as I fear, It very well might. Issei and his Fiancee are the envoys to Kuoh, a devil controlled town by the Gremory and Sitri heiress'. It's a test of peace between the three factions that is long overdue."

'Peace…I never thought I'd see the day…..wait..'

"Fiancee?"

 **-LineBreak-**

Walking out of the main school building and towards what had become their usual lunch spot, Issei and Raynare walked side by side with a boxed lunch prepared by the angel.

The Jokers pace stuttered, as he suddenly felt as though he was in deep, _deep_ trouble with someone.

Who that was however, was a mystery.

Raynare noticed the way in which her…Fiancee, was lost in thought. Whenever she looked or thought about him, there was still a brief moment where she had to correct the way her mind labeled him.

No longer was he just the fuck buddy that she had an immense attachment to. So much so, that any looks or compliments from others just revolted her.

She was so far removed from the typical fallen behavior, that if only this aspect of her was reviewed, one would think she was just a normal human.

It had been _far_ too long since she'd last teased or pranked him in a way that visible to the public. This was an opportunity that couldn't be wasted.

As Issei stared off into the distance, Raynare picked up her pace just enough to get in front of him, without his notice.

A quick glance to the left and right, The fallen young woman saw that there was quite an audience. Included in which, were Momo, Reya and the human bundle of female perversion, Aika.

The three girls were quick to notice the way that Ray had glanced around, her lips curling into a mischievous smile that made them keep watching, curious as to what she was about to do.

Ray took a few larger strides to further her distance from issei.

'If he's as oblivious as he looks right now, the aftermath will be fucking hilarious!'

She "Dropped" her lunch in front of her, and bent down at the waist to pick it up, her skirt riding up to reveal just a bit more of her supple thighs and a bit of her black underwear.

Raynare kept her face controlled, as she readied herself to be bumped into.

Issei on the other hand, was still following his previous thoughts.

'Let's see, who could I have pissed off recently?' He thought, as he stared at a cloud that was shaped in an almost perfect oval.

'Metatron always has it out for me, so I doubt it would be him. Gabriel's been too emotional around me lately for it to be her. Dulio…haven't seen him in a long time. Michael knows damn well that my reasons are justified, and just doesn't give a rats ass if one angel out of the bunch is angry, also helps that he's got me on a fucking leash. Griselda…Oh fuck…she did it didn't she-'

"Oof.." His thoughts came to a clambering halt as his pelvis bumped into to something…firm, yet squishy.

Out of pure instinct, he dropped his own lunch and tried to grab a hold of whatever it was, before his brain could fully process what was happening.

Cloth, with a source of heat beneath it, shifting subtly in his grip.

Alarm bells started ringing off in his head immediately as his head slowly turned down to whatever, or rather, whoever it was.

He was intimately familiar with this position and feeling.

"Ise! Can't you wait until school is over?!" He heard Ray announce _far_ too loudly.

And he instantly knew what would be coming next.

Glancing down, he saw her. With her hair flipped over one shoulder, bent over at the waist and her skirt riding up. Her hands planted firmly on the ground, and a fake embarrassed look on her face.

It would look foolproof to anyone who either hadn't seen the look on that face just seconds prior, or known that glint in her eyes as she looked back to him.

To all the normal students, it would appear as though Issei had just bent her over and was about to start pounding into her in the middle of school grounds.

He really should have expected something like this sooner or later. She had been behaving _too_ well overall since they started at Kuoh.

"Dammit.." He muttered under his breath.

The crowd of students out in the grounds all turned their heads towards them.

As expected, any males within viewing range, began wishing sweet agony upon his person. How dare he flaunt the relationship he had with a girl as sexy as her.

The girls were more subtle in their reactions. Mostly.

He spotted a few that clearly disliked the apparent way he seemed to be manhandling her. A few that seemed to deem it none of their concern since they were in a committed relationship and set to be married. A few that looked like they were intrigued to go through a similar situation.

Then there were the three girls previously mentioned. Momo, Reya and Aika were all thoroughly amused at the display, having seen the way that Raynare had set it up.

Aika seemed to look at Raynare with interest, almost like trying to determine if they had more in common than it had initially seemed.

Reya, the fairly quiet bishop, sported a look of appreciation, taking the situation as the prank that it was.

The way that Momo seemed to be eyeing the way Issei held Ray, as she none too innocently ground her ass against him just enough for most of their audience to miss it, spoke of a building desire that he wasn't sure that he wanted to deal with.

Being involved with two women took up as much of his free time as he was willing to part with at the moment. Anymore…And he could see himself starting to feel smothered.

In theory, and hormones, the way in which that smothering would come about wasn't at all unpleasant. At least…at first.

But then came emotional attachment, and the need to converse and spend time with that other person. He'd heard Azazel talk about the troubles of time management with his harems over the years.

Issei was good with fights and defusing potentially war-starting situations.

Women, and their random needs and wants? Nope. He doubted he'd ever be good at that.

 **-LineBreak-**

"So what had you so lost in space that you bent me over and nearly fucked me in front of a good portion of the school?"

Issei sent Raynare an annoyed glare as they sat down with Momo, Reya, Saji, Ruruko, Kiba and Koneko.

The bishops snickered, Kiba smiled in a confused yet good natured way. Ruruko was beet red in the face at the callous and blunt wording of the fallen. Saji silently fumed, and Koneko gave a quick raise of the eyebrow before diving into her food, deeming that much more important.

Raynare looked very pleased with herself at the way that Issei had jumped away from her little show just a few minutes prior.

But if she was going to aim to embarrass and tease the ever living shit out of him….well…turn around was fair play.

'Time to turn up the cheese.'

She had been almost at an unbearable level of uncomfortable when he'd complimented her with just Momo, Ruruko and Saji at the table. Issei wondered how she would handle it with double the audience.

That annoyed look turned into a smile that made her nervous and glancing from left to right.

"I was thinking of how lucky I am." He started.

All of the things he was about to say were true. But the way he was presenting it was intentionally exaggerated to get back at her.

Petty? yea.

Enjoyable? Abso-fuckin-lutely!

Would he regret it? Only time would tell. He doubted that she'd get back at him in any way that he either, didn't enjoy, or couldn't one-up afterwards.

"Lucky how?" Ruruko and Momo asked in unison. The two of them were romantics, as their diminishing crush on Saji had them picturing the moment when the unrequited love finally stopped being just that.

Plus, spending the majority of their time in an environment where the male population was heavily outweighed by the female, and suddenly the thoughts of finding love and a relationship were uplifted into near legend. The fact that most of the guys in the school were hopeless perverts only made things worse.

"Out of all the people that would try and kill me at first glance, I happen to come across a girl that was a beautiful as any i'd ever seen."

The group looked from Issei to Raynare, as he smiled serenely at her, and she tried to shy away.

They had gotten used to the way that he just waved off attempts to kill him like they were nothing. But it was still interesting to hear a bit about how they had _really_ met. Instead of the crap that Ray had fed the students that asked.

"I had no idea that day, Once I convinced her I was just in the area by chance, that Ray would be the greatest thing to come into my life."

Said fallen angel started to fidget with her fingers under the table.

"She's my anchor, my best friend. She gave me a reason to hope for tomorrow. Without her, I would've been so lost and bitter that i'd either be dead or locked away forever."

He reached over the left and stroked a lock of her raven black hair, silently taking great enjoyment in the way that her chest was heaving, her fingers clenching together, and the blush on her cheeks an atomic red.

"A day without her is a day i'd just as rather forget. When she's here, life has meaning, a purpose."

The girls looked starry eyed at the near poetic proclamation.

Issei took his hand away and gave a goofy grin to the devils at the table.

"Plus, what self respecting straight guy wouldn't want to bang her brains out? I mean….C'mon! She's got the tits of a prime pornstar, the ass of an olympic gymnast, cotton soft full lips, and don't even get me started on how warm and soft her-"

He was cut off from his far too detailed physical appreciation when Ray clamped both hands over his mouth.

"Alright alright I get it! You win!" She yelled, feeling like there should have been steam bursting out of her ears from how embarrassed she was. Never in their time together had he just started spewing things in length like that.

She saw the clear victorious looking his eye and removed her hands, placing them back on her lap, as she was still completely passed her comfort zone.

"Thank you." Issei said smugly.

It was fair to say that the devils were surprised at the things he'd said, and about to say for the two that caught on.

"Pervert…." Koneko had actually pulled herself away from the food to deliver her one line insult.

She'd called him that a few times during their training hours, but he'd never bothered with a response. Partly because it wasn't worth trying to reason with the stubborn rook who refused to even consider sharing her candy with him.

The other part of him found it hilarious that she seemed to be completely oblivious to what would happen to _her_ in a year or two. It would be sweet vindication to get back at her, once her body had deemed itself ready for such adult activities. Not that he would be around then.

When he gave her a look, like he clearly knew something she didn't, Koneko took her food and turned away from the table.

'You can't have any.' was the clear message there.

When the blonde Sitri pawn saw Momo fanning herself from the rather…steamy way she had taken his words and applied them, Saji lost it.

"You Prick! You come in here with your smokin' hot girlfriend-"

"Fiancee" Ray answered automatically, as if the distinction between the two was the most important thing in the world.

"And shove it in all our faces! Then you start picking at other girls just to take them from the rest of us! You're evil! Enemy of men! How dare you-"

He was promptly swatted quite harshly on the back of the head by the white haired bishop, while his fellow pawn gave him a heavily disappointed glare.

"Shut the fuck up Saji." The finality in Momo's voice stated that any further Issei bashing would not be tolerated. If anyone asked, she would claim that it was because they were here for peace, not to ignite a war based on teenage hormones running rampant.

After his face hit the table and Saji slid onto the ground with swirls for eyes, Momo was met by silence.

This particular situation had two glaring things about it that had never happened before.

Momo had hit Saji MUCH harder than she ever had before.

2\. Momo Swore. This was something that none of either peerages had done in public other than the guy laid out on the ground.

She was clearly at her limit of dealing with his jealous bullshit. And it had only taken two weeks to get there. There was clearly some personal things being shifted around underneath that snow white hair and glacial blue eyes.

And Raynare saw it for what it was.

She was comparing how Saji acted when her and Issei were together with them, and how Issei handled it when Ray was hit on by their fellow students. The difference in maturity was staggering.

It was only a matter of time now…

Aya was going to flip her shit once she found out.

Glancing at each of her lunch mates, Momo gave them an exasperated sigh before giving a heated rant that, unfortunately, Saji was unable to hear.

"I'm tired of his tirades! Ruruko and I could walk up to him completely naked and hang all over him, and he wouldn't bat an eye! But Ise and Ray exchange a few words and he's all bent out of shape about it! If it were Kaichou, it'd be a different story."

The fire in her voice was doused, leaving her sounded completely defeated by a superior opponent. Which confused her to no end.

What was it their king had that she didnt?!

Was Saji some sort of closet masochist or something? Because Sona had never given him anything more than obligatory praise when he went a little beyond what was expected of him.

Momo had larger breasts, the same sized waist, wider hips, longer legs…She just didn't understand.

Poor innocent Ruruko was back to being beet red at the words of her senior. But she felt the same way as the white haired bishop. They'd done everything and anything to get him to notice them. The pair even went as far as to join forces to make a little headway.

Raynare really didn't want to voice her next words in front of a group, especially Issei. But a push in the right direction was needed.

Now…There would undoubtedly be many women who would called her crazy for what she was about to say. But she had her reasons.

Those reasons coming from the very mouth of a dragon king themselves.

Raynare had been contacted by Azazel not too long ago, and had filled him in on the status of her current mission.

After that was over and dealt with, Azazel had opened a topic that he was well known for, but in a way that was completely uncharacteristic for him.

The fallen leader had asked if Issei had snagged any other girls yet.

Her response was to nearly explode on the governor, accusing him of thinking that she and Aya weren't good enough to keep Issei satisfied.

But his response?

It certainly put some things in perspective for her.

All he said, was to come to HQ and talk with the Gigantis Dragon for a few minutes on the subject.

Apparently, the reason that dragons were said to attract both mates and enemies, was because of what happened when one was nearly at their physical prime.

A dragon, or in this case a hybrid, would emit an aura to attract both. Their bodies were giving one last push for significant growth before it would slow down to a snails pace for the foreseeable future. This was in addition to the normal attraction that dragons always had, no matter the age.

They might not even know it was happening.

This definitely explained a few things Ray had noticed about Issei in the last few months.

He was more….affectionate lately, then he had been in the last three years.

He was also easier to anger.

It had never been with her, but the things that Issei described from his talks with the Seraphs, they wouldn't have even bothered him before.

And then there was the way that others were acting towards him.

Aya, as unpredictable as she was sometimes, had been more on the emotional side than ever before.

Issei had said that Gabriel had nearly been in tears when he spoke to her in the hospital.

It was building quickly, and the results could be life altering or world shaping if it were poorly handled.

Aya and herself would either have to lock him in the bedroom for severals days on end every few weeks, or get help.

The idea was a neutral one in her mind, as supernatural beings often catered to Harems.

But Issei…He'd made it clear that he was more than happy with just her and Aya.

He'd be happy with _just_ her…But Aya wasn't a part of his life that could be replaced. She was there to stay.

And if Raynare couldn't get him to at least hear her out…. For all she knew, the result could be the Great War reignited in full force.

She took a breath and opened her mouth to speak.

And just as the first words were about to fly from her mouth…

The bell rang.

'Fuck.'

A perfect chance wasted because of her insecurities.

There would be plenty more, she was sure…but this one had landed in her lap, perfectly gift wrapped with a bow on top, and she missed it.

It was time to start working the other angle she suspected was harboring rather lusty feelings towards her husband to be.

Akeno.

Rias' queen still wasn't the biggest fan of Raynare, but they had managed a few civil conversations.

 **-LineBreak-**

Schedules. Routines. Patterns. These were things that Issei greatly enjoyed in his life.

There were enough wildcards that he had to deal with, that anytime he went without one, it was well received and appreciated.

His mission in Kuoh had started in the exact opposite way he'd wanted. But it had come into a rhythm that he'd adapted to, and even started to enjoy.

Except for one key factor.

The questioning, and almost accusing, looks from Sona Sitri.

For a race known for being sneaky and manipulative, her looks made it all too clear she didn't trust him.

Basically, she knew he was hiding something.

And the Sitri devil clearly thought that it was something that brought more of a benefit to him than anyone else at their school.

She wasn't wrong…. But she wasn't right either.

It started last week when he told Kiba and the rest his side of the holy sword project.

He saw the way she slightly narrowed her eyes and drifted after he mentioned being locked up, and didn't mention any other punishments or limitations placed on him.

They both knew that, in the underworld, the aggressor would more than likely have been killed for such an act. Regardless of fault. Because members were killed of an already dwindling faction.

His omission of Aya having a weapon that could control every aspect of his being, was just as telling as when he told Saji off for even mentioning her during their first days.

"Have you put any of the things in the book I gave you into practice yet?" Issei asked as he stepped over to Akeno during their usual training time.

Things on that end had been going pretty well. Rias and her peerage had Dove right into it and were seeing decent progress.

The Sitri group was doing well also, but it seemed as though Rias had more of a desire to increase their strength, almost desperately so.

Without taking her concentration away from the barrier she was trying to create, Akeno nodded.

"Yes, It's been giving me some trouble though. I'm so used to how devil magic works, that anything else takes a lot of effort."

He watched as a silver, almost blue light seemed to want to materialize around her. It faded out before it could solidify, causing her to drop her arms and hunch forward to catch her breath.

Issei had given her a book with some Shinto techniques, and highlighted the ones that he felt would be easier for her to get used to.

Problem was…Demonic and Divine magic worked in completely different ways.

A devils magic was limited only by imagination and stamina.

Other than Human and Norse, most others were by the users will. You had to be headstrong enough for it to listen to you.

Unfortunately, thanks to the way Ray and Aya's…sexual interests, had been as of late, along with the fact that Akeno was much of the same, he had an idea to help her.

Taking a deep breath to open himself up to a can of worms he wasn't sure that he wanted to bring upon himself, Issei spoke.

"I think, I know a way that might help."

Her attention was immediately on him, a curious tilt of her head and equally curious eyes.

"Are you able to use Shinto magic as well?"

Issei shook his head.

"No, I know how it works, but I prefer to stick to my light and sacred gear. Or holy fire if I really need it."

He stepped in front of her, being about 6 feet away.

"The Shinto, Greek, Hindu, Egyptian, Celtic, all of their techniques have a similar trait. You have to bend the magic to your will, force it to listen to you. You're used to picturing the effect of your demonic power manifesting, instead of yelling at it to do what you want."

As she absorbed that information, Issei continued in a way that he was pretty sure would really get her to listen and try things his way.

"Think of it like a living being. The magic wants to come out, but it's being stubborn. _You_ are its master, it needs to listen to your every command and order. If it doesn't, it will be…punished…by not being allowed to manifest."

If the slight smirk that came over her face was any indication, she liked the way he presented the problem.

Like a switch was flipped, Issei saw her previous hunched posture straighten and take a more commanding demeanor. Her violet eyes were hard and captivating.

'What have I done…?' He groaned mentally.

 **[Kukuku. You keep saying that you don't like to feel like you're on a leash. But you always come back for more.]** Ddraig had apparently woken up, and was finding his hosts situation amusing.

 **[Your mates have turned you.]**

'They have not! I only do it, because it makes them happy. Anything that causes more than a slight red mark will _always_ be out of the question!'

During his heated thoughts, he'd missed Akeno stepping a bit closer, and raising her arms towards him.

 **[Danger Will Robinson! Danger!]** Ddraig called out mockingly, having noticed a building of magic that Issei had missed during their internal talk.

Issei thought nothing of it, likening it to Ddraig continuing to mess with him.

'That's the last time I let you watch tv.'

It was then that Issei noticed that there was a tingling feeling around his neck, and it was building quickly.

As his eyes refocused onto Akeno in front of him, he felt the same thing on his wrists.

His eyes widening only seemed to spur her on, as he realized what she had just done.

Akeno had jumped the stage of just creating a barrier or wall for defense. As her dominatrix switch was flipped, that tingly feeling came from the solidifying silver blue light attaching to each wrist, a magical link pulling them together.

The feeling around his neck was the same, so he could only imagine it had manifested there as well.

A small flash of light from the three spots showed Issei that a magical chain had connected to all three spots, with the other end in the hands of Akeno.

The technique in the book had multiple stages to it. The first was a typical barrier, the second would encompass either the user for a multidirectional defense. And the last was a tether to bind the target.

From what Issei knew, the tether would normally circle around the target and clamp their limbs to their body to stop any movement.

But Akeno had done just what he'd told her to do. Assert herself on the magic, and make it obey her.

He had expected her to trap him in a barrier. But instead, she had placed him on a leash. Placing him at her mercy.

'Don't freak out, Don't freak out, Don't freak out, Don't freak out.' He chanted.

This was a feeling that he hated above all else. It made him feel the same way the dagger did. Like a dog. A slave. A creature only useful for as long as it answered its masters call.

He could easily break out of this particular binding, thanks to being leagues stronger than the woman. But…This was the first time she'd been able to use any Shinto magic, and he wanted to see how long she could hold it without losing concentration or being too drained.

She sashayed over to him, the _leash_ shortening as she came closer, a triumphant smirk on her lips.

Once within arms reach, her free hand came up and softly caressed from his check down to his jaw.

He might have been able to appreciate the gentle touch, if his mind wasn't trying to focus on keeping from breaking through her accomplishment, and exerting enough holy power in the area to knock them all out instantly.

"Ufufu, Now isn't this quite an… _advantageous_ position I find myself in. To have the big bad Red Dragon Emperor under my thumb. Now…What should I do with you?"

With his focus set on himself he wasn't really listening to her. After a good ten seconds of silence, she seemed tired of waiting.

A small electric shock traveled through the magical links and through his body, making Issei grunt from the unexpected treatment. Her hand tightened around the chain, not knowing that in doing so, the link tightened on Issei.

His breath caught in his throat, as his pulse quickened.

'No, stop it. Stop!'

This had gone from uncomfortable, to near panic inducing.

it was too close to the spell that allowed for the sirens crest to work.

When Gabriel placed him into that hypnotic state, the magic used to give the crest its power made him feel like he couldn't breathe for a few seconds. Choking him, asserting its power over his body, and putting him in his place _beneath_ the daggers wielder.

He hated it. Issei hated this feeling as much as Dulio loved food.

In his panic, his power burst forth, scaring Akeno into falling on her ass.

The surge of power caught the others attention, who were just around the corner of the old school building, near the edge of the barrier they had placed for training.

Ray Rias and Sona were at the front of the group, all with wings extended and rushing towards where Issei and Akeno had been.

Ray had a good deal more speed than the rest, due to her training and working with Issei. Being the first one to catch a glimpse of the duo, Raynare first saw Akeno on the ground, staring at Issei with wide and frightened eyes.

'Shit, what happened?'

Then she saw him.

He was on his knees, one hand clutching the ground, the other at his neck. His lips murmuring something to himself that she couldn't hear yet.

She landed and ran over to him, sliding on her knees and catching him in a tight hug, and finally hearing what he was saying to himself.

"She didn't know. It wasn't on purpose." Over and over and over again he said it.

She tried catching his attention as the others landed and saw the scene for themselves. With Issei slowly calming down in her arms.

"What happened here?" Sona demanded, her eyes narrowed towards Issei.

Rias immediately went over to Akeno, who's eyes hadn't left Issei. She looked panicked, as if her life could've been ended at a moments notice and there wouldn't have been a thing she could do about it.

Kneeling next to Akeno, Rias probed gently.

"Akeno, what happened?"

The queen was able to tear her eyes off of the angel and slowly got up off the ground.

Straightening her uniform out, she glanced from Issei to Rias.

"He helped me find a way to use one of the Shinto spells, a binding spell. He seemed fine for a moment. Then he just…panicked. His power just broke the links. Nothing more." She realized quickly that the surge of energy from him could have been seen as a hostile action to others.

But that power had only broken him free from her own magic. It hadn't been aimed to hurt her, she was certain of that.

"He didn't hurt you?" Rias asked, as her hands went from place to place on her queens body, looking for any mark, burn, or place of discomfort.

Akeno shook her head and smiled towards her king.

"Not in the slightest. His power went right through me, all it did was break the bindings around his wrists and neck."

It was at that moment that Raynare fully understood what happened.

She leaned towards his ear and whispered to him.

"Its alright Ise, No one is hurt. She didn't know about that. Deep breaths. In and out. Just like me."

She had seen many ways in which Issei had been bound and tied. But the one time she'd wrapped something around his neck, the same panic attack overcame him.

With the memory in mind, Raynare copied what she had seen Aya do.

Grabbing the hand that was placed on his neck, she placed it on her chest, coaxing him to follow her deep breaths. It also had the added effect of making him think of the place and person he was touching. Which Aya had found helped calm him quicker, as long as it was someone he cared for.

The others watched what the fallen was doing with the near catatonic Angel with interest.

With Rias having experience with Gaspers panic attacks, she knew that this was a deep rooted and long standing issue of his.

"Good, just like that."

After a few cycles, Issei had visibly relaxed, his eyes reopening and blinking to adjust to light change.

As they stood, Raynare would have to rethink approaching Issei about any feelings Akeno might be developing for him. This incident would have him being cautious around her for a while.

 **-LineBreak-**

The sun had set, the two guests to Kuoh had gone home after Issei had recovered fully, and Akeno had apologized for whatever she'd done that had set him off.

Now, the Two high class devils were sitting in the ORC playing a game of chess, and talking about the same two individuals. It was a little meeting about what they thought and had learned.

"Today only confirmed my suspicions Rias." Sona said, moving a knight on the board to be in position to take a rook.

"You never did tell me what those suspicions were." Rias moved a pawn, and then accepted a cup from Akeno, who was back to her usual self.

After they had separated, Rias had shared just how proud of Akeno she was. Her queen had taken the advice that Issei had given her, and was starting to show progress in a brand new branch of magic. If Riser wouldn't back down from this arranged marriage, then it may just come in handy to have a barrier and reflection type magic at their fingertips.

"The fact that Hyoudou is hiding something. In his story about the holy sword project, i'm certain that he left a part of his punishments out. And whatever it was, spawned this phobia he seems to have."

Akeno had placed the empty tray back into the side room of the clubroom, and returned to her kings side.

"Pardon my interruption, but why would leaving out a punishment he may or may not have received be important?"

Sona moved a pawn on the far side of the board, building up her assault for a few more plays down the road.

"I doubt the punishment was anything simple. If someone had done the same thing in the underworld, they'd almost certainly be executed if they had acted without permission, and even middle class lives were lost."

She adjusted her glasses as she waited for Rias to make her next move.

"No, The angels must have done something to ensure they could trust him not to cause too much trouble. I only have speculation as to what that might have been."

Rias thought about it from the underworlds perspective. If key points of the reasoning was left out, it sounded a lot like what Koneko's sister had done.

The older Nekoshou had killed an entire peerage along with the king and several guards.

The details were fuzzy, and mainly speculated, because they had never been able to get the truth from the one person still alive who knew it.

It was assumed and widely accepted that the bishop had been driven to insanity by using senjutsu. The elders council had tried and convicted her without any true evidence, leading to the underworlds purge of senjutsu users.

"I have to agree that the council would most likely declare the individual a stray. What do you think Heaven did to handle the situation then?"

Leaning back in her seat, Gazing between Rias, Akeno and her own queen.

"Heaven has a fairly straight forward track record when dealing with

troublesome members. They seal them. Much like your bishop in the other room Rias."

Her arms and legs crossed, Rias scoffed at the suggestion.

"But he's _here_ Sona. Even if he were a master with illusions, he wouldn't be able to-" She stopped as what Sona had been getting at registered.

"I see. You think they've taken at least a portion of his power away?"

The Sitri queen, who had a habit of only speaking when she needed to, unless she was alone with their peerage finally made her thoughts known.

"I find that to be unlikely."

Sona nodded in agreement with her queens assessment of the situation.

"If they didn't seal him away to a specific location, or his power….Then how?"

Rias was now very curious, she wasn't aware of any other type of sealing techniques.

"The only other conclusion I could come to, is a remotely activated spell of some kind to seal his mind. To separate it from his body temporarily. It would allow whoever was in control to take command of his body. Especially with him being one of the Heavenly dragons hosts. They have a habit of causing trouble. If that were the case, sealing his powers wouldn't be necessary."

Akeno didn't like what she was hearing one bit. To be a prisoner in your own body would be torture. In the wrong hands, something like that would devastate a person. You could be forced to kill your own family, commit crimes with no way to prove your innocence.

If that was what indeed had been done to him, she wouldn't go around telling anyone either. A power of that kind was best kept under lock and key.

It also aligned with what the members of the Sitri peerage had shared with them.

That Issei had said that Heaven basically left him alone unless he was needed.

"Assuming that you're right, what should we do with this information if anything? The angels would not have let him come here if they were worried he would cause problems."

Sona raised a hand, where a magic circle spun and flashed, revealing a familiar manilla envelope. She spoke as she opened it.

"I dislike unknown factors when dealing with anything of importance. So I started going over the information we were given, and had acquired on our own."

Flipping through the pages, she came to the near end of the report they had gotten from her sister. She came to the end, flipping the last page, a picture of a woman with long dark hair and grey eyes sat above a lengthy description.

"I believe it is in our mutual best interests to find out exactly what was done to him. And I also believe that I have found something."

Sona set the profile down on the table between them, the chess match long forgotten.

Rias and Akeno leaned forward to look at what was being presented. No matter their personal thoughts on what Sona was suggesting, their curiosity made them keep listening until they'd heard everything the Sitri heiress had to say.

"She's quite the cutie." Akeno complimented. The soft smile on her light complexion, accompanied by her near stainless steel colored eyes gave her an allure hard to find in humans.

Both her and Rias found it interesting to see she was wearing a police officer uniform. Not many women went into that field. The gender gap was lessening, but the police force was still largely dominated by men.

"Aya Minami, 25 years old, and no living family members. An officer of the Tokyo police for the last 4 years, she has made a name for herself as one of the most level headed younger members on the department in stressful situations. Lived on the edge of Kuoh for the last 15 years, recently moved about a 10 minute walk from here. Minami has had 3 partners during her time with the police."

Rias raised a hand to interject.

"While I appreciate all of the information, what's the point of all this?"

Sona smirked as she laced her fingers together, her elbows planted on her knees.

"I was just getting to that. Of those 3 partners, the first lasted 6 months before requesting a transfer. The second lasted 18 months, doing the same. This last partner, has been with her for two years with no signs of any issues between them. The records _would_ be pointless, if it weren't for a report I found from a few weeks after Aya Minami had started working with this latest partner."

Sona had their full attention, just as she thought she would.

"The pair were called to a well being check, only to find the body of the elderly man to be mangled in such a way that it appeared a large wild animal had broken in, clawed him to death before eating some of the flesh."

Sona held up an index finger to halt anyone from interrupting.

"The strange thing, was the wounds found on both officers. There were no slashes or claw marks anywhere on them, but rather…Bruises. It was as if they had been struck by a blunt object. Plus, Aya had marks along her forearm consistent with a large amount of force gripping it."

Rias and Akeno finally got was Sona was alluding at.

The two women had encountered a stray. And two humans were nothing compared to the rage fueled power, a being like that would have.

"The other, and more interesting thing, was the list of equipment that had been used by the officers in the incident."

Sona reached over and flipped to the next page.

"The report had circulated the internet, as the women claimed that the beast was some type of large lizard, getting the conspiracy theorists to go crazy figuring out what species it may have been."

Looking at the new page, there was the image of 2 police issue pistols, the magazines out and set beside it.

The picture below, without context, was highly confusing.

A well made dagger sat beside its sheath. No one in the room missed the way that the light from the camera flash only seemed to reflect on the outer half of the blade.

It was almost as if that inner portion of the blade wasn't a metal at all. It looked…dull.

Its serrated edges curved inwards, like you expect from the tooth of a carnivorous creature.

The handle, had grooves for finger placement, in a purity of gold that wouldn't have been out of place in one of the underworlds richest families.

There was a large emerald at the base, held in the gold handle by the shaping of a bird like talon.

The sheath was of the same quality, and Sona believed that it shed a bit more light on the strange weapon. The base material was black, a picture laid on it in the same gold.

For such a small image, it was very detailed.

There were music notes placed at seemingly random places. But the largest depiction on it, was of a woman seemingly settled on the ground, her legs curved to her side. In her hands was an instrument Rias had only seen once, at the Bael manor.

The base of it was in a 'U' shape, with the tips curving outward slightly. One of the woman hands was holding it, and the other seemed to be plucking one of the seven strings.

The image had her at a profile view, and waves coming from her mouth, with more musical notes placed directly around her upper half.

She was singing.

"Tsubaki and I spent quite a while looking over this _one_ image. Just out of curiosity, what do you two make of it?" Sona asked as her eyes locked onto the two across from her.

The two young women in question felt like they were being put on the spot. Whether it was because Sona and Tsubaki weren't able to make heads or tails of it, or Sona just wanted to see if Rias came to the same conclusion was unclear.

This was one of the few times that Rias would curse her obsession over Japan and its customs. Because in this situation, it wouldn't help her in there slightest.

Rias _knew_ she had seen an instrument nearly identical to that one. But she had no idea what it was, or where it originated from. Perhaps she should start expanding her world view a bit.

Once she was certain she had no further input on this image, Rias turned to Akeno, who looked as if she was just on the verge of coming up with an answer.

"I feel like…I should know what this is, that i've seen something similar before."

Tsubaki nodded towards her fellow queen.

"Yes, I felt the same. I knew that I had seen a similar image. It wasn't until several hours had been spent on research that I found out why."

Knowing the backgrounds of the two queens, Sona urged her queen to continue.

"As a child, I was told of the creatures sitting near bodies of water, their voices luring men to their side."

Violet eyes widened as she recalled a similar story from her mother. At the time, Akeno had just thought of it as a way for a mother to tell her daughter not to be promiscuous.

"An Undine."

Rias raised an eyebrow at that.

"A water spirit?"

All three of the other girls shook their heads.

"No. The imagery is close, but when taken in its full context, slightly different." Tsubaki answered, and Sona took over the conversation once more.

"Undines were never known to be wielding instruments of any kind. It's what prompted us to keep digging. It was another few hours before we looked at the entirety of the dagger to see what we were missing. Look at the bottom, the talon holding the emerald."

Rias' head tilted down as she tried to piece it together.

A woman singing with an old stringed instrument, and something about them having talons.

But talons were never associated with any water beings, that was more of their aviary brethren-

And then it clicked.

"A Siren." Rias' words bringing forth all of the tales she'd heard as a little girl.

Sona and Tsubaki both nodded, having come to the same conclusion. Nothing else met all of the characteristics that were on the dagger and its sheath.

Female, the instrument, the singing, the talons.

A creature that had lured men from vast distances with just the sound of their song. It had long been depicted as being magical, rather than just enticing to the sailors who had gone undetermined lengths of time of knowing their lovers touch.

But that was mostly speculation, as they were now a _very_ secretive species. One hadn't been known to be affiliated with any other faction in hundreds of years.

Rias shook her head, still not seeing the angle that Sona was.

"I don't understand how you feel we benefit from digging into his personal life. I enjoy unravelling a mystery just as much as the next person, but this feels like we're playing dirty."

Sona nodded her head with a frown.

"I agree. It is playing dirty. And if we had started this test, with everyone on the same page, I wouldn't even be thinking about it."

The Sitri heiress flipped the report back to the beginning, the report that had initially been given to them. She kept it on the page with all of the blacked out information regarding Issei Hyoudou.

"But the fact of the matter is, we were intentionally given less information on him. I want to know what it is we weren't told, and why."

Rias looked at Sona and Tsubaki, noticing that they seemed like there wasn't any way to convince them to leave things alone. She sighed as she stood up from her seat.

"I don't agree with you on this, but I won't stop you. Nor will I tell Issei about your intrusion into his personal life. Opposing faction or not, he has been nothing but open and welcoming to get to know each of us."

She and Akeno stepped towards the double doors leading out of the room. Rias paused as Akeno held the door open.

"I hope you'll consider that before doing anything irreversible."

 **END!**

Next time- Aya meets Riser.


	7. Chun Li and the Birdhouse

The walk home had been silent, and Raynare hadn't a clue, as to what was going on in his head.

Nothing of any particular importance had happened over the last few days. No more incidents during training, or any developments with any of the other girls that she'd been able to pick up on.

She could see that Issei was deep in thought on something, it was plain to see in his eyes and expression. He was working it out in his head. But what was it?

As they walked up to the door of their home, Raynare heard him sigh.

"Okay, I can do this." His voice was quiet, the words were obviously only meant for himself.

Issei opened the door, letting her inside first. Raynare kicked off her shoes at the door, unbuttoning the corset while she thought about what may have caused Issei to be so preoccupied.

Her thoughts were brought to a halt, as she was pushed towards the wall, her back with enough force that she wondered if the drywall might have cracked. Immediately she was on guard, casting her senses out to look for an enemy.

That too, was halted, as Issei held her against the wall, and kissed her.

Her mind was trying to play catch-up, with the swift change. When his hands took hold of her, one at the back and the other at the nape of her neck, her body decided that was the last thing she wanted to do.

Issei was finally giving her what she asked for. His grip was possessive, not letting her move a single inch in any direction. That restriction by itself, had a tingle running from her head to her toes.

To feel like she was at his mercy, only able to do what he allowed, it was indescribable. The hesitant way issei had approached anything like this in the past, made this single act of dominance that much more fulfilling.

She knew he was only doing this to make her happy.

One of her hands came to the front of his pants, not wanting to drag this out long enough for him to stop. Raynare had forgotten, that she had yet to change back to her true form.

As their tongues intertwined, she managed to get both his zipper and the button of his boxers undone, before her hand was torn away and held firmly behind her back. His hand that had remained on her neck came down and grabbed the other of hers, bringing it behind her, so that her wrists overlapped.

Raynare moaned, and she could feel her core heating in anticipation. Two fingers traced over her wrists, a feeling of something semi-solid wrapping around them tightly.

Her breath hitched, realizing what he'd just done. The rings of light that Ise used to capture instead of kill, he'd just used it to bind her hands. She tugged on them, and felt herself wanting to smirk into the kiss. When she pulled on them, there was a strange fuzzy feeling, from the light restraining her.

His hands lightly skimmed from behind her, over her sides as they came forward, making her shiver. Even with the way he was taking charge, Issei didn't lack that loving touch he always had.

Even though it had only been slightly more than a minute since all this began, Raynare was almost to the point of pleading for him to start fucking her already.

When his hands trailed down to her skirt, she thought that maybe she'd somehow communicated that thought telepathically. Her hips bucked forward against him, not wanting to break their kiss, but also wanting to convey what she wanted.

She whimpered, when all he did, was trace a finger over the fabric of her labia. Issei pulled away from their kiss, and started kissing along her jaw and towards her neck.

Raynare felt the urge to pull his head closer, but her restraints wouldn't let her. It made that yearning for him rise, as his finger gently caressed the increasingly wet thong she was wearing.

"Ise.." She started, only to stifle something resembling a half moan and half yelp, when his teeth sunk into her neck with moderate force.

"No talking, or i'll stop." Her mouth had never closed as fast as it did in that moment. Having him stop, was the last thing she wanted.

"Good girl" His praise was followed by his free hand coming to join the other in sliding down her underwear enough, that they fell to the floor.

The cool breeze from the air conditioner struck between her legs, and it made his warm touch that much better. She was getting so wet, that it was starting to drip down her thigh. Raynare might have been embarrassed by that, at any other time, but right now all she could focus on was what Issei was doing to her.

With her panties on the floor, Issei was able to grab a handful of her ass. His other hand swirling a finger just on the edge of entering her, his thumb making circles on her clit.

Holding back from making any noise was hard, and she had to bite her lip to make sure she didn't.

She could feel his smile against her neck, just above her collarbone. Her knees almost gave out when he finally pushed that finger into her.

Issei had hardly done anything to her, and yet she was feeling out of breath from trying to stay within the boundaries he put in place. When his finger pulled out, Issei pulled his palm up, rubbing it against the bundle of nerves above. Raynare felt her toes curling as the feeling of her climax started to build.

The movement of his hand was maddeningly slow, and all she wanted was for him to pound into her with whatever digit or appendage he wanted.

When her breath came in pants, and she couldn't resist the urge to try and pin his lips to her neck by twisting her head, wanting the blinding orgasm she felt herself coming to the edge of, Issei stopped and pulled his hand away.

The hand on her ass lowered. She hadn't noticed how hard he'd been grabbing her before, but now she could tell that she'd definitely have his hand print there. Raynare felt the hand that had just been teasing her so wonderfully come to her other thigh a moment later.

Just before she was hoisted up by her thighs.

As if it had been ingrained in her over decades, her legs wrapped around his waist. She noticed then, what was hot and pulsing just at her entrance.

Issei's finger twitched on one hand, and her bindings dissipated into oblivion. Before she could do so much as blink, Issei had thrust himself inside of her. Not the gentle or slow kind, no, this was hard and fast. Just like she'd been craving.

Even through the lip that had to be bleeding by now, Raynare moaned long and low, feeling herself encompass him completely.

Issei paused for just a moment, letting himself enjoy the feeling. Once that was over, he was merciless. Until this moment, Raynare had never thought that sex could make tears fall from her eyes.

As tightly shut as they were, Raynare still felt them sliding down her cheeks. Issei had pushed every button of hers that he was comfortable with, in giving her this experience. She'd forgotten to change out of her Yuuma form, making him feel just that much bigger.

With every thrust that had his hips slamming into hers, every push that had his cock hitting that spot that made her dizzy, she felt more complete then she had her entire life.

There were always exceptions, but as a general rule, there were two types of fallen angels. There were the ones who had no longer wanted to take orders from someone who appeared so hypocritical between his actions and words, and tended to be the more dominant and loner type.

Then there were those that wanted something, beyond the limits god had placed on them, but still wanted to feel that someone had control over their actions. Even though she'd been born a fallen, Raynare fell mostly into this category.

She may enjoy tying Issei down to the bed and giving him a show as she rode him, but what she really wanted, was for him to make her feel like he owned her. She belonged to him in every way that she could give, and now that he was exercising that authority, Raynare had never been happier.

Her legs tightened on the small of his back, one hand gripping his hair and the other had her nails digging into his back. Her pleasured breaths came out just beside his ear, spurning him on, telling him to keep going.

Her eyes opened, and she caught sight of something that her core clenching even tighter around the cock thrusting into her with reckless abandon.

As quickly as Issei had been to start taking control of her, he hadn't bothered to look and see if the curtains were closed.

They weren't, and right now three of their classmates, were getting a more in depth look at their new classmates.

By tomorrow, Raynare knew she'd probably be mortified. But right now, the thought of Issei displaying his dominance over her, for others to see, had her about to cum on the spot.

Throwing her head back to enjoy the fall into bliss, Raynare felt her legs going numb. Judging by the stutter in his thrusts, Issei was close, and she forgot that he'd told her to stay quiet.

"Don't pull out." She felt it pulse inside of her, getting thicker and stroking every nerve even more.

" _Fuck_!" Her head buried into his neck, squeezing herself as close to him as she could manage.

Issei groaned as he picked up the pace, and Raynare felt like she'd almost lost the ability to speak. All she could do, was try to breath, and feel.

"Cum inside me baby. Don't you dare pull out." Her words came out with a slur.

Her climax came, and Raynare threw her head back and screamed. The muscles convulsing around his cock, pushed Issei over that edge too.

With each thrust, Raynare felt it shoot into her. Hot and soothing, her body contracted, like it was trying to pull every last drop out of him. Raynare twitched with her head against the wall, her eyes closed and feeling disoriented. Her chest heaved with each breath, and there was a light sheen of sweat covering both of them.

When Issei put his head against her breasts, taking large gasps of air himself, she threaded her fingers through his hair gently. Her violet eyes focused on him, soft and caring, in a way they'd never been.

"I love you, so fucking much." The words spilled from her mouth without a second thought.

Right then, there was nothing else she could have said that adequately relayed her feelings.

When she felt his renewed vigor twitch inside of her, Raynare squirmed so much that he almost dropped her. Her nerves were so sensitive right now, that even that had triggered a minor orgasm.

His near copper eyes bored into her, like he'd found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

"Say that _again_." He demanded, his voice a panting whisper.

Violet eyes widened, as she realized what she said, and what Issei had said they could do once she had.

Her hands trembled, as they moved to hold onto each side of his face. Giving him a brief, yet loving kiss, she pulled back and felt her tears wanting to make a comeback.

"I love you Ise, more than anything." The way his face blossomed into a smile wider then she'd ever seen, made her wonder why she'd been so afraid of saying it before.

 **-LineBreak-**

The place they were in was fancier than she really liked. The drinks were good though, so she'd let it pass. The beer she was drinking, was an import from the US.

Aya would have never thought that a lemonade beer would be good, but hey, she'd been wrong before. It was surprisingly refreshing.

Aiko sat beside her, slamming the rest of her mixed drink. She didn't know what it was, but it supposedly had a high alcohol content, and right now, that was what her partner needed.

Slamming the glass on the counter, Aiko wiped her mouth with a thumb.

"How? How is that scumbag walking?" She was referring to the trial that they'd both just been sitting in for, one that they'd played a part in, but weren't asked to testify.

"You know why. The guy probably paid off the right people. Nothing we can do about it now." She took another sip of her beer, still getting used to the taste.

The two officers were in the Northeast part of Tokyo, having picked this place since it seemed nice, and it was close to where they'd been just an hour before. The bartender came over, and took the glass to be cleaned, Aiko ordering something that wouldn't have her puking her guts out, by the time they left.

Aya caught sight of a few men in the corner, one of which was looking over in their direction with apparent interest.

Blonde, probably around her own age, dressed in a nice suit of burgundy. She got the vibe that he felt appearances were more important than character. Then there was the rather stunning young woman that kept glancing at him from just a few seats away from them.

Dark hair with aquamarine eyes that were pretty eye catching. The girl wasn't drinking, so Aya assumed she was looking out for Mr Douche Vibe over there.

"Ugh, whatever, not like there was a real chance he'd get convicted anyway. Damn yakuza hardly ever get locked up around here." Aiko was given her drink. Her partner gave a sigh after tasting it, and seeing it was done well.

"We'll just have to find something on the guy, that doesn't give him a loophole to work around." Some of the other guys were following the blondes line of sight, and were now leering at them.

She heard the girl to side scoff for some reason. Was the girl upset that the men weren't looking at her? No, that couldn't be it. Ms buns and tits over there looked like she would punt them across the room if they got too handsy.

As Aya was turning back to face Aiko, she saw the blonde guy give a subtle twitch of his eye towards the other girl. Something about it didn't sit right with her.

"Yea I guess. It's times like this, that I almost wish i'd taken that advice my mom gave me. Find a good guy to settle down with, and live the suburban life. Nice, calm, and predictable. Getting pampered with attention doesn't feel too bad right about now."

Ms Buns and Tits got up from her stool, giving a good fake scowl over to the crowd of men drinking themselves stupid. She started to make her way over to the pair of officers.

"You could always come by my place. Issei really is an angel, when it comes to making a girl feel appreciated." Something was wrong with what Aya had seen go down.

She knew enough to trust her gut, and it had paid off in the past. Aya was almost always looking over her shoulder, whenever she was away from home. When a situation felt strange, she'd developed a sort of test.

She had wanted to see if the one in question, would react when she brought up Issei's race. If there was a reaction, then she'd know that the being in question was supernatural in some way. The harder the reaction, the more likely it was, to be a devil.

The one Aiko talked to occasionally, wasn't a bad guy, but she was still wary of them. Aya felt that she had every right to feel that way.

To her surprise, the girl walking over had flinched before the word angel even came from her lips. In fact, if she'd seen it right, Ms Buns seemed to react to Issei.

On a side note, Aya felt that the girl was dressed to draw attention to herself. She was wearing one of the most revealing qipao's she'd ever seen. The deep blue fabric had slits that looked like they ran all the way to the top of her hips. And the girl was showing a ton of cleavage. It was pretty much just two hand width strips that wrapped around her neck to cover them. There were no sides to the damn thing, so Aya could see pretty much everything but the chicks nipple.

Aya knew that there was something she should know about this girls appearance, but it was just out of range for her to recall. The girl was just about up to them now, she'd figure it out.

"Hey there, mind if I sit with you two? The guys back there are kind of creeping me out." Her voice was smooth and assured. Aiko hadn't been paying attention to the same thing Aya had, but even she picked up on the mismatch of words to tone.

"Go right ahead." Aya gestured to the stool on her other side, away from Aiko.

Now she could feel it, the girl was a devil. Her little compensation from heaven was vibrating like a damn tuning fork that had just been struck by a hammer. That only happened for one reason.

"Yea, feel free. Anyway, Aya, i'm not about to go jump into the sack with the guy just so you can get used to having other women in the bed." Aiko paid the new part of the circle little attention, probably an effect of the alcohol. Her partner was a bit of a lightweight.

Unless Aya was mistaken, she thought she saw the blonde guy wipe a smirk off his face real quick. So there were two devils then. The guy was the king, and the girl was one of his pieces.

They were being targeted.

Or at least, she thought so. But that didn't make sense to her. Didn't everyone supposedly know that certain areas of a major city were broken up between factions?

The Southwest was held by the devils, and why Aya never worked there. The Northeast was heavens area, they should have been free of this kind of thing around here. There was no way that these two were stray, from what she'd encountered, stray devils were almost always out of their mind.

The Southeast was for the fallen, and the Northwest had a hub of Youkai. Although, the Youkai were allowed to go pretty much wherever so long as they didn't draw attention to themselves.

"Don't give me that crap Aiko. You were eyeing Issei like he was a damn steak at that fundraiser."

There was that little flinch again. She hadn't been seeing things. There were some Japanese names that were common enough, both of the officers were examples of that.

But Issei? No, there were very few chances that the girl wasn't reacting because of the same one she was intimately familiar with. But he didn't know many devils.

It was on the tip of her tongue, and Aya was starting to feel like this was something that should obvious to her.

"Polyamorous huh? Me too. It's pretty rare to meet someone from the same lifestyle. My name is Xuelan by the way." Xuelan interjected.

Wait….Xuelan? Dark hair, blue green eyes, where's a qipao…

Shit. She knew who this was.

"Ah Xuelan! Riser is in dire need of your company!" A hand was thrown over both Aya's and the new girls shoulder, as the blonde guy pretended to be plastered.

The guy blinked, and acted like he had just noticed who else he was holding on to. Something that Aya was trying to grit her teeth about. She would have been moderately polite, if she didn't know the guy was a devil and just playing a part.

If he still didn't get the hint, then she'd react with a little more force.

"Riser can see you have made some rather striking friends."

But no, this dickhead had done it intentionally. He didn't deserve any pleasantries from her.

"Get your hand off of me." She picked his hand up by the index finger, throwing it off of her shoulder like it was a piece of garbage that fell from the sky.

Aiko picked up on the way her partner was acting, and placed a foot on the ground in case they needed to move. She knew Aya didn't act like that without reason.

Aya turned in her chair, letting Aiko see the hand that was shifting towards the blade hidden underneath the shirt, right under the line of her slacks. Seeing that motion, Aiko paid very close attention to the newcomers.

"If Riser has offended you, then accept his deepest apologies. If you wish, Riser will pay for your drinks." This guy…Riser?…She really couldn't believe that the guy was speaking in the third person, gave a deep bow without stumbling, giving up on the charade of inebriation.

"Let me stop you right there." Aya said, raising a hand, a hard look on her steel grey eyes.

"What are you doing in this part of the city?" She asked of the male.

"And what are you doing with him?" She asked the girl.

"Aya, are you sure?" Aiko asked from behind, now standing from her barstool and placing enough cash on the counter to cover both of their tabs.

"As sure as I am, about you wanting to fuck my boyfriend." Aya leaned in, so no one else would hear.

"I know what you are, and that you're not supposed to be here."

The man straightened himself, tugging on his jacket needlessly.

"Ill advised, but not forbidden. But Riser Phenex has no need to explain his actions to the likes of you."

Riser Phenex was his name huh? She'd have to ask Issei about that later, and see if he knew anything on the guy.

Aya turned towards Xuelan, who was looking between the two officers, like she was determining a threat level. Aya needed to be sure of something, before she started running her mouth.

"Issei Hyoudou" The girl went wide eyed, before giving her a look as dark as she'd ever seen.

"I thought so." Aya remained unfazed.

"I wish I could say that I wouldn't tell him about this, but we don't keep secrets from each other. Do you have any idea how upset he's going to be about what you chose to do?"

Upset was putting it mildly. Issei was going to go ballistic. One of the four kids he had been the guardian angel to, had turned into a devil. It wasn't going to be a good night.

"Good. I hope he feels even a sliver of the pain I went through, waiting for him to show up when I needed him." Xuelan spoke through clenched teeth, still glaring at Aya.

"You stupid girl…" Aya gave a dry chuckle.

"Do you think he wanted to abandon you? Are you really that dense?"

Aiko saw the way that Riser was looking displeased about being dismissed so easily, she tugged on her partners sleeve.

"Aya, leave it be. C'mon, let's just get out of here."

Aya ignored her, and stared right into those aquamarine eyes, that were starting to show a hint of doubt.

"If you really want to believe that, then go ahead. I'll tell Issei that he can throw out the birdhouse he built for you, which is still in his room. He was forced to leave you behind dumbass."

She gave Riser one last scathing look and remark.

"I suggest you leave this area, unless you want to threaten the uneasy balance everyone's in right now."

The two women left, leaving a pure blood devil with his ego stomped on, and a girl that had her perception on life changing events, thrown on its head.

 **-LineBreak-**

The Phenex manor was, in her opinion, needlessly extravagant. Everywhere you went, there was the same color scheme, of red and gold. The floors were redwood, the walls were a deep red that bordered on crimson, with gold accents on the trim and door frames.

The paintings on the walls, the statues littered around the larger areas inside, as well as the courtyard, it all kept this same design.

The only area that Xuelan was aware of, that broke this cycle, was Ravel's room. Pink, orange, and yellow were her colors, so it wasn't a vast difference.

The Chinese martial artist was in her room, lying on her bed, trying to calm the storm of thoughts. She couldn't help, but let the words of that woman in the bar get to her.

For just over 2 years now, she'd been a part of Riser's peerage. With only one major downside, she'd been content with that. She just wished that her king would get it through his head, that she had no intention of sleeping with him.

Riser had sweet talked most of the girls in his peerage into his bed, at one time or another. Thankfully, non-consensual sex was one of the things that the devils had outlawed. If Riser went against that ruling, not only would he be brought up on rape charges and have his status as a high-class revoked, but his mother would obliterate him.

How had Riser turned out this way? His sister, father, mother, and two brothers were all respectable individuals. Sure they had their quirks, but who didn't? The man just seemed to have a never ending pool of lust for the next woman.

Or in the case of last night, two women.

Xuelan was sort of glad, that his plan had backfired on him so spectacularly.

knock knock

Her head turned towards the door, as the light knock echoed in the sparsely decorated room. She wasn't in much of a mood to entertain anyone, but on the off chance that this was something important, Xuelan had to at least see who it was.

"Come in."

The latch clicked, and the door opened slowly, revealing her fellow rook Isabela. Her light brown hair with those three red streaks, was as unruly as ever. The mask that covered one side of her face, covering the burn mark that brought her to Riser in the first place.

Xuelan had wanted to question her choice of attire, once upon a time, she knew better now. A dark green jacket with long sleeves and wide shoulders, was cut just under her breasts, showing off the entirety of her midriff.

Those black jeans, with one leg cut on the upper thigh. Isabela had gotten away with wearing that stoking on the leg. She had a weird thing against showing her legs. The clothing was something that Riser had chosen.

Their King had done the same for her own clothing, as minor of a change as it was. Xuelan had always like her qipao, the only real change Riser made, was to have it without any sides, and the slit on her legs was a few inches higher. If she hadn't taken to wearing the white sash with it, she'd be flashing people with each and every step.

"You missed breakfast Li, everything okay in here?" Isabela looked around the room, and at Xuelan, trying to figure out why the usually smiling young woman was still in her room.

Xuelan clicked her tongue, annoyed at the nickname given to her. Apparently, she looked like some video game character that the American rook had played as a kid.

"Racist" She retorted. It hadn't helped, when Isabela learned that Xuelan was adept with kung-fu.

Coming over to sit on the edge of the bed, Isabela gave Xuelan a curious look.

"Are you hiding in here, because of whatever happened yesterday? Our king took off by the way, off to Greece for those twins."

Rolling her eyes, Xuelan sat up.

"Of course he is." There were very few things that kept Riser Phenex at bay for long, when it concerned adding more females to his peerage. She hoped he didn't think he'd be getting some sort of twin threesome with them anytime soon. Those girls were too young for that. Plus, he already had those cat twins.

Isabela gave Xuelan a pointed look, wanting an answer to her question.

"Ugh fine, it's because of yesterday. Probably not what you think though. I just…needed some time to think." She'd hardly slept for more than 2 hours last night, with how her mind kept playing the scene, and all its possible meanings.

Xuelan looked at her lap, where her hands were clasped together tightly. She still couldn't make sense of it. That woman had said that Issei been forced to leave her. But why? From what she knew, he'd done everything they asked. And Issei had never been anything but a shining beacon in her life up until that day.

Had she made a mistake, by joining Riser? Xuelan had been starving and sick, on the streets of Hong Kong, so she didn't many other options without resorting to something more unsavory.

Did he still care about her? Had he looked for her? If it was true, that he still had the present he promised to build, then he had to care.

"What happened then? Riser was pretty pissed when you two got back. He didn't catch that Fiancee of his with another guy, did he?" Xuelan looked up, a little confused, before what Isabela asked finally registered.

Just like the days before Riser had taken her in, thoughts of Issei and what was keeping them apart, were dominating her mind.

"That damn familiar of his spotted a pair of women in cop uniforms. And instead of going to visit the school his fiancee goes to, he decided that he wanted them in his peerage, after we picked up that cake Lady Ravel wanted."

Xuelan went on to explain how the entire thing had been set up, and what happened.

Riser had caught wind of the two women heading to that bar, and wanted to be there before hand, so it didn't seem like he was intentionally seeking them out. She was to act the part of a girl waiting for a date, and being stood up. Things hadn't gotten that far though. The dark haired, grey eyed one had caught onto them quickly.

Xuelan was given the signal to try and talk to them, so he would have an excuse to approach, and then try to sweet talk them into joining him.

They hadn't expected the pair to know of the supernatural, or that the more confrontational one would know of Xuelan. Riser had cut his losses, and wasn't happy about it. She wasn't sure if he was going to do something stupid, after being shut down so quickly and rudely.

That woman…Aya, had thrown Riser's plan on its head.

"You were in the angels part of Tokyo?" Isabela stuck to the part with the biggest potential effect. Not only on them or Riser, but on devils as a whole. Sure, they had a good reason to go into the area, that bakery was world renowned. But they should have left immediately after, just like Lady Phenex had told her son to do.

"Aside from the fact, that it was a dumb idea to stay there, what's got you so bent out of shape?"

Xuelan felt her breath get shaky. Being asked so bluntly, only had her memories and speculation running rampant with her emotions.

"I told you before, that I had a guardian angel." Isabela nodded, remembering that odd conversation.

"That wasn't a figure of speech, it was literal. When I was at the orphanage, he was my only friend. The other kids all mocked me for being some brutish girl. When I turned 18, and got kicked out, I thought he'd just left me behind."

Xuelan shook her head, trying to keep her lip from quivering.

"That woman, she knows him. Part of me wants to think she was lying, when she said that he wanted to be there for me, but couldn't. It's making me wonder…If I made a mistake by turning into a devil."

Xuelan felt her hand be taken by the other rook, holding it gently and rubbing light circles on the back.

"This angel, did you love him?" Xuelan laughed, despite the negative emotions flooding her. It wasn't a joyous one, but more along the lines of someone laughing at their own stupid mistake.

"I don't know. I cared for him, but i'm not sure what it feels like, to be in love. And now thinking about how disappointed he would be, that I became a devil…it hurts."

Xuelan looked up at the ceiling, as if she were trying to peer into heaven and ask him directly.

"I just want to know why. He promised he'd always be there. So why wasn't he?"

 **-LineBreak-**

All day, Issei had been stuck in his own head. When Aya got home last night, he'd expected her to at least have a buzz from her time out with Aiko.

When she came in, stone cold sober, and that sympathetic look on her face, he'd known that his night was about to have a twist. It most definitely had.

The first words out of her mouth, had been like a bucket of ice water being dumped on the good afternoon he and Ray had experienced.

"I have to tell you something. You're not going to like it, and I need you to keep calm."

After she told him what happened, Issei wasn't sure what to do. There was no point in losing his cool, as much as he may have wanted to. It would accomplish nothing. It wasn't like he could just march up to Gabriel, pitch a fit and then Xuelan would no longer be a devil.

Things just didn't work that way.

His eyes narrowed as his thoughts drifted to what else Aya had told him. Riser Phenex, that was the name of the guy that had turned her.

Phenex, one of the 72 pillars, he assumed this guy was the one that the seraphs wanted him to interfere with. If they wanted him to do something, now he had a personal reason to do so. He still needed more information though.

He should go and see Gabriel, maybe she'd give him a little more to work off of. She had been trying to have a civil conversation with him for a while now. Perhaps it was time they did. No matter what she said, he was going to keep calm.

What mattered, was that he find out what had happened since he was pulled from his guardian status. 2 of the 4 were now known to have had something happen to them. The other 2 were a mystery.

In the meantime however, he had some devils to train.

"Are you ready?" His sparring partner at the moment, was none other than Sona Sitri. She wanted to compare water techniques, and even though he sucked with the element, he'd agreed. If she got stronger, that was good, no matter how it came about.

Shifting her glasses into place, the council president nodded, summoning a stream of water to circle around her body.

"I am."

Her left hand swept up and pointed at him with open fingers, with a portion of her water magic obeying and launching itself in his direction.

Issei had to be careful, and make sure that he didn't miss. If his holy water touched her, it could be bad.

His own hand went into a position that looked like he was holding onto a ball of some sort, a magic circle forming and quickly gathering a small amount of water infused with a holy element.

When it reached the size of a volleyball, Issei threw it at the stream that had crossed half of the distance between them.

Normally, her attack would have pierced right through his, what with the quicker speed and being at a small point at the front. But his was a direct counterpart.

When her stream came into contact, the demonic magic infused into the water made it vaporize instantly, and Sona lost control of the portion she used in her attack.

The heiress didn't seem to be all too surprised, however, and simply sent another towards him.

There was a reason he chose that amount though, and with a mental command, the water came to float in front of him.

The ball of holy water spun, gaining speed and widening into a whirlpool to protect himself.

Again, her attack came right towards him, ignoring the fact that it would do virtually nothing.

This stream hit harder, more velocity behind it, but still didn't puncture through. The air grew a little more humid, the sun shining through the particles making their way to the ground.

Issei wasn't sure if Sona wasn't at all concerned for his safety, in case she hit him, or if she believed that he'd be fine no matter what happened. Whatever it was, he could tell that she was still watching him like a hawk, trying to determine what it was that he'd hidden from them.

He wasn't in the same position, because if he somehow hurt Sona, he knew that Serafall leviathan would be coming for his head. He'd rather avoid that.

Letting a little more of his power come forth, Issei decided to end this little show, just as Sona whipped 5 lances of demonic water at him.

These attacks were different, as they acted like heat seeking missiles that were able to turn on a dime.

So focused on controlling her magic, Sona missed the moisture on the ground coming to surround her feet.

Two lances struck against his shield of holy water, one after another, getting more than halfway through before losing form, when Issei raised his other hand with a closed fist.

The afternoon sun had painted the grounds of Kuoh Academy in an orange light as it descended. Less than a second after raising his second hand, Sona found herself staring through a wavering blue bubble.

The change confused her momentarily, and her 3 other lances fell to the ground before they could hit their mark.

She looked back to Issei, and saw him dismiss his personal shield, using both hands to expand her holy prison. The feeling of being surrounded by the element that could wipe her from existence brought a shiver to run down her spine.

Sona could move now, and with great care, Issei was expanding the bubble swirling around her, until he could safely open a passage without letting any touch her.

To her, it looked like a depiction of Moses parting the red sea. Issei spread his hands, and the water slowly formed an archway for her to walk through. She waited, until the droplets stopped coming down through the opening.

Walking through that, was something Sona would never forget. That feeling of facing your antithesis, was like having someone run an icy cold hand down your back, before stabbing you through the heart with a knife that had been in a metal furnace.

Issei watched as Sona came out, and it was clear that she was thinking of a way to adapt that move for her own uses. He was sure that it wouldn't take her too long, before she had something up her sleeve.

If it were him, he'd probably have the opponent surrounded by water, and then have several points that her lances struck them. Kind of like an iron maiden.

"Ise, Sona, are the two of you done for the moment?" Turning, the pair that was called saw Rias approaching them.

"Yes Rias, we are." Sona let a magic circle overcome her, drying off any water that had gotten on her, and removing any dirt.

"Oh good, I need to borrow Issei." Sona nodded and turned towards where her peerage was conducting their own training.

Raising a brow, Issei gave Rias his attention. The crimson haired heiress seemed like she wasn't sure how she should feel about something.

"Whats up?"

"I…um..How do I put this…?" She started mumbling.

Issei waited for her to try and figure it out, while also taking a look at those around them.

Saji had been teamed up with Tomoe, so he could try attaching the line from his sacred gear to a fast moving opponent. Momo and Reya were comparing magic circles at the moment, seeing whose was the more powerful and most energy efficient, a good thing to consider when in a prolonged fight.

Yura and Koneko was going head to head, and it looked like a pretty even fight from this distance. Kiba was talking with Ruruko about something, but he was too far away to catch any of it.

That just left….

"Hey, where are Ray and Akeno?" Turning back to Rias, his question seemed to magnify her indecision.

"That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Does Raynare have any…Bisexual tendencies?"

Now what in the world did that mean? Raynare didn't particularly care if Aya jumped into the mix, but he really hadn't bothered asking that sort of question. Nor had she really shown any kind of inclination of that type.

"Not that i'm aware of. Why do you ask?" And where in the world were they?

Her smile was a nervous one, as Rias gestured for him to follow her.

"It's easier if I show you."

Walking along the grounds for a good 30 seconds, Issei noticed that they were heading in the direction that he'd talked to Akeno the day they met. Around the back of the buildings, Issei could hear a whisper as the edge of the building was moving from view.

"My…Just…This." Issei only caught a few words, but it most definitely Raynare.

Looking to the right, his eyes widened at what he saw.

Raynare had Akeno pressed up against the building. Rias' queen had her hands behind her back. His fiancee was whispering into her ear, while one of her hands dipped into the shrine maiden attire that Akeno wore when she fought.

Akeno bit her lip, her eyes casting over to him and Rias briefly, just fast enough that Raynare hadn't noticed. A mischievous shimmer came from the violet eyes.

"What did he do next?" The way that the hybrid fallen had stressed the word, gave Issei his answer on what was happening. That was further solidified, when Raynare bit onto her neck, getting the queen to give a sigh that was a borderline moan.

"No talking." Raynare said, making her voice a whisper filled with lust, as she recalled how Issei had made her feel yesterday.

Issei was of two minds at the moment. He could interrupt them, or he could just wait and see if Raynare really did have a thing for girls.

The hand that Raynare had in Akeno's clothes pulled up harshly, getting the queen to jerk forward, her eyes opening wide in surprise.

"Ahem." Rias made that decision for him, by clearing her throat loudly.

Raynare jumped back, turning to the two who had been watching. Now that she had turned to face them, Rias was able to see the purple mark on the full blooded fallen neck.

She cast a look over to Issei, who was shaking his head with an embarrassed look on his face. Rias hadn't seen the mark earlier, which was probably because Raynare had hidden it with her hair in her Yuuma form.

The way the sun was casting its light, Rias and Issei were able to see the way Rays hand glistened. The Gremory girl was left wondering, just what in the world Raynare had done, that could have turned on her queen so much.

Akeno had only mildly warmed up to Raynare so far, so this little display had her curious.

"U-umm… Hey, what brings you two over here, done training already?" Ray asked, feeling nervous about being caught.

She hadn't talked to Issei yet, about what Fafnir had told her. Raynare had been hoping to secretly encourage Akeno to form a relationship with him, while also giving him time to get over that panic attack.

The fallen hadn't come up with a plan for Momo yet, but she was working on it. There was also the chance, that the Sitri bishop would just fall in line by herself.

If yesterday had been any indication, his sex drive was ramping up. She didn't mind in the least, but from what she had been told, sometime in the near future, it was going to be so high that her and Aya would be bed ridden for a few days at a time without someone else to share the wealth.

'On second thought, that doesn't sound so bad. Neither of us are ready for kids though.' Issei was too young still, and Raynare hated using condoms. The low rate that supernatural beings got pregnant was low enough, that it hadn't been an issue so far.

She had satisfied her submissive side, and her desire to remain kid free, by having him pull out. Compared to what happened yesterday, being on her knees in front of him, having his cum rain down on her face and chest was nothing.

"I just finished up with Sona, when Rias came over and wanted to know if you were bisexual. Dare I ask, why you decided to share a private moment we shared, with Akeno?"

With flushed cheeks, and numb wrists, Akeno lifted herself off of the wall.

"Ufufu, she changed into her true form for our training. I asked her about the perfectly mouth shaped mark on her neck. She decided to show me, how she got it." A hand raised to cover the smile and laugh.

"I never thought you would be so…controlling, Ise." Her violet eyes opened just enough for him to recognize the unrestrained lust in them.

"I'm intrigued."

Rias looked at Issei in a new light, putting together what she'd heard from Raynare, and what she had just seen. If that was an accurate depiction of how he'd treated her, then he and Akeno had more in common than she initially thought.

"Sorry to disappoint you Akeno, but I prefer to keep those details between the people involved." The look Raynare received from him, said that she wouldn't be getting that same treatment for a good long while.

"Anyway, I think that's all for me today. Should probably go check in upstairs." Issei pointed up to the sky.

While Rias and Akeno took that to mean, that he was just filling in his superiors in heaven, Raynare knew what his real objective would be. Or at least, what the subject matter of it was.

Issei disappeared into a cross that the devils had to look away from. When it faded, Raynare decided that she was going to fish for information here, while he was gone. Hopefully, she'd be able to find out something, that would be of use.

What she would be told, wasn't much, but it did explain why her peerage had taken to the training with such ferocity.

"Rias, you wouldn't happen to know who Riser Phenex is, would you?"

 **-LineBreak-**

This was one of the only times that Issei ever appeared in heaven of his own volition. As such, he thought it best to appear in the area that the deck of hearts resided in. Here in first heaven, he would be subjected to many looks, since it was the most densely populated area.

But honestly, he was too mentally preoccupied to even care.

The home for the deck of hearts, like almost all of heaven, held a white and gold color scheme.

The room he was transported to, was technically his, but he hadn't used it since his initial training had been completed. It was smaller than others, because he just didn't need the room that the others required.

A bed, a dresser with formal attire, and a desk, was all that was there. The door was directly across from the bed, and as Issei reached for the handle, he heard a voice on the other side.

Opening it, and stepping out into the hall, Issei caught sight of the ace of hearts.

Mirana Shatarova was walking down the hall, humming a tune of the church, he couldn't name which one.

It was rare to see her without the usual nun outfit of all black, but she walked, her head swept from side to side, her light brown hair bouncing along with it.

Issei felt that it was a shame that she seemed to be afraid of him, because he liked her shy and optimistic demeanor. He just wished that she made better choices sometimes.

They had only spoken to each other a handful of times, one of which was when he saved her from that SS class stray.

Currently Mirana was heading down the hall, wearing a pair of red shorts and a white tank top that seemed a bit too tight on her.

As issei started to make his way down the hall, she turned towards a door, which must have been her room. Mirana caught sight of movement to the side, when the handle was halfway turned.

When she saw it was him, she paused, unsure of what to do.

Mirana had left a meeting of her fellow saints of heart just over an hour ago. Both Gabriel and Griselda, had expressed a desire for everyone else to treat Issei fairly, whenever they saw him.

She never understood why no one wanted him around. The only thing that had her shying away from him, was that fiery, dominating presence he exuded. In her opinion, that aura was nothing heavenly, but she knew that it was through no fault of his own.

The Red Dragon Emperors of old had often been described with that same aura. She hoped that the smile she put on her face didn't look forced, as she turned to greet him.

"Hi Issei, what brings you here?"

 **END!**

 **Hello all, sorry for the long wait. It won't happen again…hopefully.**

 **I wanted to do more, but it would felt like to much was happening at once.**

 **Only the second lemon i've ever written. How was it?**

 **Next time, Griselda hears the other side.**

 **Thanks Revan's Wraith and CreuseryAsmo for reading through this and giving me your thoughts.**

 **DxD discord link below.**

[ discord. gg/ xEApPAS ]


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! Wait!**

 **Read This!**

 **Keep this in mind as you read things that may trigger your sensitive sensibilities (Not all of you, just some). I have not spelled out the entire scenario. You don't know everything that's going on with each character. Keep an open mind, think about more than what is blatantly laid out in front of you.**

"I miss the days like this that we had." Issei said with a content sigh. "Few as they had been." But he couldn't help the back handed remark right after.

It didn't seem to affect Gabriel much, if at all. She ran her fingers through his hair, a smile wider than normal on her face. His head laying in her lap was a comfort she couldn't quite explain or understand, but it was very much welcomed.

Eden was a place that made it near impossible to stay angry, the scents whirling together making something akin to a chemical that just induced peace.

After a short conversation with Mirana, Issei had come into Eden and felt its effects immediately. There was a fleeting thought, that perhaps Gabriel had just been waiting to encounter him in here. The same place they would often retreat to when he'd been newly reincarnated. It brought good memories to the forefront.

"As do I Ise. So, _so_ much." Her beautiful voice a soft whisper as her eyes took in the relaxed form of her Joker.

Without his near perpetual tension around herself and the other angels, he merely seemed to be another among their ranks. So much had gone wrong, and _he_ was the one paying for it.

"I can hardly remember the last time you sought me out Ise. Dare I get my hopes up that we can repair things?" The curiosity was near crippling for the seraph. She'd been in the midst of a different meeting in Eden, when she felt him pop into heaven suddenly. Luckily they were just going over small details at that point, and she had most of the information already.

"Like I said before, I'm trying… But it hurts." There was something in his statement this time around that made her think he hadn't told her all of what he meant, but she wasn't sure it was good to pry too hard.

Gabriel said nothing, to stay on the safe side. Issei was here with her, not angry, not yelling, not accusing anyone of anything. Now that she had been told of what was going on with him, she was keeping an eye on his energy. His normal state was lost on her, but she could see where things were problematic.

Spiking and falling in rapid succession, though in small amounts, spoke of an internal conflict. He didn't even seem to know it was happening, much the same as any normal teenager with hormonal fluctuations. The only thing that was known to help was giving him an outlet, one of two options. Sex or fighting, two things that Dragons were well reputed for.

These were things to bring up later in their time together. She wanted to speak with him without causing concern.

"You've re-arranged some things since I was last here." With one eye cracked open, Issei surveyed the area.

The garden of Eden was a sight to behold. Stretching as far as the eye could see, plant life from all over the human realm and some that were exclusive to here littered the area. Rows of sunflowers taller than any he'd ever seen, roses, daisies, chrysanthemums, fruits, vegetables and trees. All in a harmony only capable because of what God had made.

Last time Issei was here, this clearing had been surrounded by a variety of different colored roses, the tree they often sat beneath shading them from the light that was always present. He wasn't sure what that source of illumination was, but it was always there, imitating a bright shining sun at noon.

This time around the clearing was smaller, and instead of roses, orchids grew from the ground or from vines. The smell was more potent, and the colors more vibrant but still just as varied.

"I had some time to myself last year, and the Garden hadn't been altered in almost a century." Her reply had Issei curious. 'Some time' to someone like Gabriel was different than most of the world. She had likely shut herself in the garden for weeks on end, leaving Griselda to be the one to coerce her out.

Silence came over them, the only sound in the garden being the breeze shuffling he leaves on trees, the petals of flowers. It was comfortable in a way they hadn't experienced with each other in years, and neither was too enthused to break it. But Issei had come here for a reason.

"Aya saw Xuelan." The name was familiar to Gabriel for some reason, but she was having trouble placing it.

"The girl from the Chinese orphanage." She nodded when he explained further. Gabriel remembered watching from heaven, detached eyes peering down on him as he conversed with a girl bullied for her interests, getting her to laugh and smile better than anyone else could.

"She's a devil now." The hand threading through his hair paused. Gabriel looked down to him, eyes still closed and still calm. She knew better than to think that Issei was feeling at peace now, but she hoped that things wouldn't turn.

Gabriel placed her free hand that had been propping herself up, onto his cheek when she saw the way that his face scrunched. Light brown eyes opened and stared up at her as her thumb swiped his cheek lightly.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could take back so many things, but all I can do is apologize and beg your forgiveness."

Taking a breath, Issei shook his head. "That's not why I'm here. I mean yea, I'm upset about the whole thing, but I wanted to ask you for information."

A sigh of relief came from the female seraph, and she made a mental note to have Issei meet her in Eden whenever they needed to speak.

"Her master is Riser Phenex." Gabriel couldn't help the widening of her eyes, surprised at the name. "Is he part of that other thing you wanted me to take care of?" Technically, she wasn't supposed to tell him for another few days, but this was as good of an opportunity as any. It might help Issei follow through, knowing that this man had taken Xuelan into his peerage.

Looking around and casting out her senses, Gabriel wanted to make sure they were as alone as she'd previously thought. When she determined that Issei and herself were indeed the only ones around, she chose her words carefully.

"Yes Ise, Riser Phenex is who I was referring to, but this is not a simple matter." Issei rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Gabriel, if it's something you're having _me_ handle, it's never simple." Despite herself, she smiled. He wasn't calling her master or my king. She could do this, she could finally have the connection to him that he deserved, the one she wanted.

"So what's the deal with this Phenex guy?" That question had too many answers, even from the little that Gabriel truly knew about the man. Sirzechs and Serafall had been quite forthright in their opinion on him, and _Azazel_ of all people had frowned at his ways of gathering women. The leader of the fallen was many things, but none had ever claimed him to seek a woman just for the sake of it, to appease his own ego. Gabriel had met a few of the women, and there was always a measure of love between them.

"Riser Phenex is an ambitious devil with an immense ego, even by devil standards. His father brokered a contract to marry him to Rias Gremory years ago, and his tendencies could very well push tensions too far and foil our plan for peace."

Gabriel kept her hands running over the scalp of her Joker, remembering how it had always calmed him when he was younger. He'd once said that it felt like her fingers were pulling any bad thoughts right out of his mind. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Riser Phenex taking Xuelan into his peerage would make Issei pay closer attention to him. Issei was incredibly protective over his charges.

"I don't think it would help matters if I killed a member of a pillar family."

She was not happy that Issei felt the need to say that, though historically he had been tasked with things of a violent nature.

"On that we agree, but that's not what I am asking of you."

"Asking?" Issei said with a raised brow.

"Yes Ise, asking. According to Sirzechs, Riser has been pushing for the wedding to happen sooner than expected, something he says infuriates Rias to no end. The Devil Kings, Azazel, and we Seraphs feel that this marriage cannot be allowed to happen."

"Huh, angels getting involved with underworld politics, strange times we live in." His tone was light and yet it carried a sense of surprise, like he hadn't at all expected the seraphs to get involved in such a thing.

She did not disagree, for it _was_ strange. The fragile cease fire had been the state of things for so long that anything else seemed a foreign concept to those in heaven, or at least that was the feeling Gabriel got when she had discretely asked around heaven.

The angels all seemed to think it an impossible thing, getting along with devils and the fallen. Not because they wouldn't accept it, but because the other two races were too driven by desire and sin.

"If Riser has his way and marries Rias, it will place him in a position of more influence. Not because he will have more power in the underworld, but because more people will be watching and listening. If something were to happen, his calls for violence could quickly spread-"

"And be a spark for war." Issei finished for her, following her line of thinking.

They didn't know for certain that Riser would react that way, but his brazen nature gave them enough doubt. Views of a similar vein were not hard to find amongst the older devils, they could easily follow suit and support his decision. She knew that Sirzechs had been a deterrent from war for his entire time as Lucifer, but there was only so much he could do.

"The fragment theft _really_ isn't helping this situation."

"No, it is not."

Truth be told, heaven was putting more resources towards that investigation than they really had to spare. But that's just how important to the state of the three factions it was. Those blades could bring about the end to them.

"How am I supposed to stop this marriage from happening?"

Gabriel was certainly not going to bring up the way that Azazel and Serafall had mentioned, the one that Michael seemed to be leaning towards. That would do nothing but stir up problems at the moment. Sirzechs at least seemed neutral towards the idea, which was a surprise given his near fanaticism with Rias.

"Riser is said to be scheduling a walkthrough of a few venues for the wedding. At some point next week, he should make an appearance. Sirzechs has already gotten both families to agree that if Rias should still be against marrying him, 'the fate of the betrothal could be determined through a rating game.' Those were his exact words."

Issei hummed with closed eyes, enjoying the feeling of those nails against his head. With each swipe he felt lighter, less burdened, even though they had brought up things that could very well mean that he and Ray just might end up on opposite sides of a war. He would be forced to participate, but he could always try to convince her to stay out of any fights. Though she'd probably just ignore that and fight anyway.

"There's a very distinct lack of specificity in that statement."

Gabriel giggled brightly, remembering how proud Sirzechs had looked with the wording on the addendum.

"He may not have been born a Lucifer, but he fits the title well."

Issei let the information sink in for a moment, going over it with a fine-toothed comb. Devils were a tricky lot; loop holes and misdirection and intricate wording were their weapons of choice when they wanted to be subtle. The Gremory family had seen fit to arrange an engagement with their daughter to a prominent family of the underworld.

It was likely that there was some back-door deal being had. Something that gave both family's more power or more money. Not that either the Phenex or Gremory's needed it.

If he disrupted that deal, what would the consequences be? If Rias was against a marriage to Riser, she'd probably thank him. But what of the family?

Devils were old fashioned, their customs only having made it to that of the middle ages. Women were often considered commodities to bargain for power, and the only thing that upset this concept was the fact that so many of the children born had been female over the last century, or that the only surviving members of a family were female.

The shift in power was a necessity to keep themselves relevant in the world.

From what Issei had heard, Venelana had been around for a while. Born before god's death but hadn't participated in the war, people said that she was the strongest woman of the Bael family to have ever existed and was at Satan class. Those standards didn't quite hold up as they used to, not with the oddities since God's death.

Satan class was powerful, yes, but most of the three faction's leaders had surpassed that now. Because they had to, for one reason or another. Serafall and Falbium made up for it in other ways, from what he'd been told.

If he were born with the same mindset as someone from that timeframe, and his daughter was freed from a marriage he had arranged, what would he expect from the one to do it?

These marriages were set up to bring unity between two houses, influence, access to resources, power, bragging rights. Devils were not known for being particularly monogamous, so adultery wasn't really something they concerned themselves with. Besides, that was a sin, and sin was the basis of their entire existence. Marrying for love hardly ever produced the same results….

Oh hell no.

Gabriel must have felt the way that his body went stiff, rigid in comparison to the laxed way he'd been laying just moments before. He could feel the way that her legs seemed to fidget of their own accord.

Shit.

"Gabriel… _Please_ me you didn't say that I would-"

"I didn't Ise. I promise." The hand in his hair left, and both took purchase on the sides of his face. Gabriel was leaning down to look him in the eye, unwavering and honest.

"I have asked you to do many difficult and unfair things, but I would never order you to marry a woman you didn't love."

Issei felt a weight drop off, one he didn't know had even been set on his shoulders. Not only would Raynare and Aya have been absolutely _livid_ , but he suspected that Rias would have hated him on principle alone. And they were getting along pretty well so far.

"But it came up in conversation?"

Her hands fell down to his shoulders, and she nodded.

"Azazel seems to think that the two of you would be good for each other, and once he explained himself, Serafall seemed to agree. Sirzechs was quiet about his thoughts on the matter. If you do this, Lord and Lady Gremory _might_ expect you to marry her, as you will have effectively stepped in as a suitor fighting for her hand."

"They would force her into marrying an angel?" That was the most surprising thing about the situation. The Gremory's had a reputation of loving their servants like family, treating others with respect. It was what had helped them stay so prominent over the ages. But this went beyond that.

"We would have demanded that you fight Riser as the Red Dragon Emperor, not an angel. Only the leaders are aware of your status as far as we know. The man that attacked me hadn't done so until after those negotiations, so we don't know how many people are aware of who you are."

And that guy just so happened to be the wielder of the most powerful sacred gear out there, was able to bring a _Seraph_ to near death without a scratch and fight him in his base state with the wyverns. Not a dude that should be taken lightly.

If Issei ever came across him again, entering balance breaker was the first thing he was going to do. No more chances could be taken against him. Grisleda would be mad if he killed the True Longinus wielder, if only because it was a holy relic, but it was better for that to happen than Gabriel be killed.

"Issei…I must confess something." That was never a good way to start a topic.

"I told Griselda. She wanted to know why you were so angry with me and heaven… I told her how Aya… Assaulted you."

Issei was sitting up before he could even command his body to do so and Giving Gabriel an incredulous stare.

"You _what?_ "

Once more, she was feeling as though she'd made the wrong choice. Her eyes drifted down, feeling down that she'd hurt the freshly recovering relationship with her Joker, when she heard him take deep breaths.

"Okay…okay…don't get angry. _Whew_." Issei let out a calming breath and looked at her evenly, concealing whatever it was he felt.

"I'm sorry Ise, I just wanted to be honest with her. She deserved to know what I did to you, how it affected you afterward. She doesn't feel the same way that the others-"

"Gabriel." Issei shut her down when she started babbling in apology, trying to get him to understand.

Her head lifted, meeting his eyes which were slowly opening.

"I get it. But there's something you don't understand."

Her head tilted.

"Aya doesn't know what the dagger does to me." A breeze swept through the garden getting Gabriel to shiver, yet Issei was unaffected.

"She's hurting enough, I couldn't tell her that I had no choice, I couldn't let her know how badly it burns when she uses it. That would kill her, knowing that it hurts the only person she has left."

Issei stood and crafted a communication circle, Gabriel watched it happen, knowing what he was worried about. Griselda was a great teacher, a good ear to vent to, a shoulder to cry on. But she had a temper about her.

" _Hello?"_

"Griselda…where are you?" Issei's voice was hesitant, scared of the answer.

Even Gabriel could hear the crying in the background, which made her feel worse.

" _I'm… in your home. I'm sorry Issei, I didn't know."_

The circle closed and Issei clenched a fist.

"I understand you were only trying to do the right thing Gabriel, and I forgive you. But I have to go before Aya does something stupid and I lose her for good."

He didn't wait for her to speak, a cross forming and taking him away before she could do so much as nod.

 **-LineBreak-**

Raynare had _not_ expected what she was told, or the swift change from friendly to near hostile. Her nerves had been on edge ever since she uttered that name.

 _Riser Phenex._

From what she could gather, that name represented the destruction of everything the ORC had come to value in their lives. She knew that the devils considered peerage members as _servants_ , but she hadn't realized just how appropriate that term really was.

While the Gremory family was renowned for their love towards those serving the family, the system as a whole treated them as property, something that could be bought or sold at a whim of the owner.

It had taken more than a short conversation to make the devils understand why she was asking, and even once they had, it was still a chore to get the info from Rias.

What made her wary, was the way that Sona eyed her suspiciously. When Ruruko left earlier than the rest, Raynare didn't trust that she wasn't up to something. Sona Sitri had something against Issei. She wasn't sure what it was but it had been on her mind for a while now, just as it had been on his.

A womanizer, an entitled man-child, a _devil_. These were the things Raynare had come to attribute to the man she'd just learned of. He cared so little for the woman that he was set to marry, that he had openly shown his lust for women in front of her. Raynare wished she was allowed to thrust a spear into his gut out of principle, a few memories coming back to haunt her.

Surprisingly, at had been Akeno that had broken things down for her.

An arranged marriage since she was just an infant, while he himself had already been nearly an adult. His disrespect for anyone that wasn't _obviously_ above his own strength was mocked and disregarded unless his mother stepped in. Lady Phenex must be quite a woman to keep that level of trash on a leash of any sort.

Rias had spoken with such venom, that she thought the redhead might start oozing her power of destruction at any moment. Not that she couldn't handle it, but that wasn't exactly on her to-do list.

Issei had been clearly upset at what she'd done with Akeno, and she couldn't blame him. The love of her life, newly acclaimed as that may be, was as monogamous as could be in his situation.

He saw no reason to seek out more women when he had her and Aya. He was completely in the dark of what was going on inside of him. Aya was entirely out of her game in this, and Raynare wasn't sure she'd be enough to satisfy the lust of a dragon undergoing such a drastic change. Fafnir had been quite forthcoming in describing just how _long_ a maturing dragon could keep at it.

Even if he had others, she knew that Issei would never set her aside. It wasn't in his nature. He would sacrifice life and limb for her. She _knew_ that.

Raynare was not the type to overly express emotion, at least she thought so.

But after the other day, she would happily jump into his arms and kiss him stupid in front of the entire school. He'd made her _that_ happy. He could be stuffing that magnificent cock of his balls deep into a _goddess,_ shooting that hot sticky cum deep into her pussy, and she could pretty much guarantee that he'd be thinking of her in some back corner of his mind.

He was too good to be true. And it made her that much more determined to keep him. _Angel_ didn't do him justice sometimes.

On her way _home_ , and what a weird thought that was, because it was the residence where she now stayed with Issei and Aya, Raynare caught a fleeting sight.

Brown haired twin tails, long and straight, held on a short body.

 _Busted._

She knew that girl was up to no good. Well, not Ruruko really, but Sona.

Raynare picked up the pace quietly, making sure that her presence was concealed and keeping to areas out of view of the one she was following.

The girl was leaping from one rooftop to another, but there was a hesitance in each movement.

To say Raynare was surprised to see one of the girls she had come to think of as a friend was clearly making a move to spy on them hurt was an understatement. It brought a cold, familiar rage. Flashes of red eyes came to mind before she could block them.

Issei knew more about Sona than she did, but was her peerage not allowed a moment of protest, or being able to voice their disagreement with a command? Surely Ruruko didn't _want_ to spy on them… Right? Unless the usually mild-mannered girl was a master of manipulation, Raynare was inclined to say that the first year devil probably didn't think this a good idea.

There _was_ the chance that Ruruko was doing something else, but she doubted that. What else was in this direction that could be of any interest to Sona and her group? If it were a client, they would just use magic to head there. This was a quiet neighborhood that a few of the other students lived in, none of which that were really of any concern in _any_ way as she saw it.

Picking up her pace to keep up, yet still remain unnoticed, Raynare caught sight of something that made her thankful Issei was gone for the moment.

Aya was walking in the same direction, towards their home obviously, after her shift. Just up ahead, Aya would have to turn in order to go home.

Raynare kept glancing from the human to the devil, waiting to see where this would go. Would Ruruko follow?

There was a sinking feeling in her gut as Aya neared the intersection, and Raynare had long ago come to trust that feeling. What she didn't know, was _why_ she had a bad feeling. Ruruko and Sona could be dealt with easy enough. Unless things went completely overboard, there shouldn't be any fighting. Issei might dish out some harsh words and his holy power might seep out and scare them, but that would be the end of that.

The moment of truth came as Raynare saw the cross-walk sign light up, Aya made her way towards the other side and turn, not at all worried. That in itself was strange, didn't the dagger alert her to when a devil was near? Perhaps Ruruko was just too far away for that to happen with her level of strength.

Violet eyes narrowed as she watched Ruruko pause on a roof top, hiding behind the parapet before turning to follow.

 _They're stalking Aya?_

Why? She was just a human put into a bad situation she'd had no control over. Wrong place, wrong time, with the right person, and her life had taken a huge detour. What in the world were they hoping to learn or do?

The walk was coming to an end, and Raynare was still considering her options. Unless Ruruko used some sort of ranged technique Aya was in no danger, so confronting the devil seemed an option best left as a last resort. The fallen was more curious about their goal. Aya had nothing to do with the three factions, not directly anyway.

Ruruko stalled for a moment when Aya entered the house, and suddenly Raynare was having a hard time seeing her from this distance. The presence of the girl had been almost entirely erased from the air, a handy trick, and one that was impressive for how young she was.

Now that she'd concealed herself as well as she was able, Ruruko moved to the side of the house and placed a magic circle on the outside wall, one that Raynare didn't know the specific purpose of. It had to be something used for monitoring, because the pawn sat herself right next to it.

That uneasy feeling in her gut proved to have been there for a reason when Raynare and Ruruko both felt the presence of something holy appear inside moments later. It wasn't Issei, she knew that for sure. The person felt fairly powerful, but the Joker of Hearts kept his entrances discrete. This flare of holiness had her intrigued since the angels that would seek him out surely had better things to do.

The next thing that Raynare needed to decide, was whether she should go inside or get Ruruko out of there. Play along and let the girl think she was unaware of her spying, or to drag her inside and wait for Issei to get back.

As she tip-toed closer at a slow pace, that decision was made for her.

Muffled and distorted as the sounds were due to the walls and distance, Raynare could hear the yelling begin. Raynare decided to throw caution to the wind and deal with Ruruko later when that Holy presence surged. The pawn fell to her backside with wide eyes, clearly having heard whatever was stated.

" _And who the hell are you to barge in here and accuse me of shit like that?!"_ Aya's retort was the first thing Raynare could make out.

Ruruko briefly made eye contact with Raynare, the fallen striding over with an even expression as she eyed the house.

When a female voice that Raynare didn't recognize responded, she knew things were about to change once more.

" _Because that_ _ **is**_ _what you are. A rapist."_

'Oh shit.' Raynare thought, glancing over to Ruruko who was shivering from the power of an apparent angel in the house radiating with righteous fury.

" _The moment you took his choice away with the dagger you damned yourself. You abused the love he has for you, hurting him every time you want take advantage of what was given to you."_ Raynare thought she should know who this woman was, but it just wouldn't come to her.

" _It is fortunate for you that my status as the queen of Lady Gabriel does not mean that I can act in her stead. For I would bring upon you the might of heaven, even if Issei wished to spare your repulsive existence."_

The pieces came together quickly in Raynare's mind. Griselda Quarta, Gabriel's queen, and one of the most skilled female exorcists to have ever existed. She was inside the house, berating Aya… and revealing something that her and Issei had been hiding from her since the beginning.

Raynare took large strides towards the front of the house, wanting nothing more than to make sure that Griselda calmed herself, even though it was already too late. Aya was going to ask questions.

Ruruko could sit there all night for all she cared. There were more important things to do at the moment.

" _Get the fuck outta my house you feathered cunt. I would_ _ **never**_ _abuse him. Anything we do is consensual and none of your fucking business."_ Raynare came upon the door quickly, wincing at the statement Aya just made. She opened it with more force then was necessary and strode in.

What she said was _technically_ true, Issei _would_ consent to almost anything she wanted. The problem was…

"And how could he consent when your will is forced upon him by the dagger?" Raynare came into the kitchen where the two were staring at each other. The pristine robes that Griselda wore, baggy and unflattering by nature, could not hide the way she was shaking in barely restrained rage.

Aya was looking like death incarnate. Her steel grey eyes hardened and sharp on the former nun. A smirk came over the human woman when she quickly glanced at the fallen that had come in.

"Tell her Ray, we've never forced Issei into anything, never left anything more than a red mark that faded in minutes."

Griselda turned then, taking in the visage that she correctly assumed was the fiancée to the joker of Hearts. It was easy to tell that the woman was of the supernatural. Face impossibly symmetrical, eyes of such clarity that those violet iris' pulled you in. Breasts larger than any normal woman of her size. Waist thin with flaring hips, leading to long legs that looked sculpted from marble.

Griselda had met quite a few fallen, but this one in front of her was the personification of their genes being made for seduction and _sin._

"Ray?" Aya's smirk started to fall when her fallen friend stayed silent, eyes narrowing painfully, and lips slightly turned down. "C'mon… Tell her I'd never…" She couldn't finish the sentence as the doubt started to build.

"You shouldn't have done that." Raynare said to Griselda, who merely rose a brow.

"And _she_ should be imprisoned." Griselda replied with an icy tone.

Raynare bit her lip, glancing from Aya to Griselda, wondering just what she should do. The chance of Aya letting this go and _not_ asking questions was zero. The human woman _loved_ Issei, and even with her issues she would never wish harm on him that couldn't be remedied by an ice pack and a little time.

"Issei is… protective of her." Raynare said, dancing around the thoughts in her head. She didn't want to be the one to say it, didn't want to be the one that would tell Aya just how she'd been causing Issei pain for _years._

"Does that somehow mean that she is allowed to do whatever she wishes to someone who is incapable of anything but complying?"

Raynare winced, the way she worded it was too transparent, too close to the truth that Issei had hidden from her for so long. With Ruruko listening in from outside, it was already too late for things to stay out of the spotlight. It would be better for the truth to come out.

She just wished that it wouldn't have to be so painful for her friend.

"She doesn't know…"

"What?" It came from both Griselda and Aya at the same time, but with differing tones. Griselda's was still cold, and Aya's was a shaky, almost frightened one.

Raynare gave Aya a look full of pity, knowing full well how she was going to react.

It was no secret that Aya loved him. She had her problems, as everyone did. A case could be made to declare her an alcoholic, and if the truth were stretched a bit one could even say that she was verbally abusive towards Issei while intoxicated. When she was sober, Aya still had a relatively small fuse on her temper but was generally sweet towards him.

When Issei explained what made Aya the way she was, it all came together. The drinking brought out her insecurities of being left behind by those she cared for. She wanted to be in control, something she didn't have when she watched her sister be butchered along with his parents. It certainly showed in her sex life. If Aya was to feel pain, it was because she told Issei to deliver it. A slap to the ass, a hard pinch to the nipple, a bite on the collar.

"The dagger…" Raynare was finding it hard to speak with confidence as she watched Aya. "She doesn't know what it does to him."

Eyes that looked like polished steel widened slowly, stepping back as if she were being held at knifepoint.

"You're lying…" Aya shook her head, and she looked back at Raynare with pools of tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes.

"He would have told me!" Aya could deny it all she wanted, but the way her breathing quickened, short and choppy, and the reddening in the whites of her eyes spoke of the truth setting in.

She bumped into the counter behind her, one hand gripping its edge while the other clutched to her chest while she continued to stare at Raynare, hoping that she would say this wasn't true.

Griselda watched with a growing sense of dread, as the woman she had accused of being nothing more than a vile scourge on humanity started to come undone. She had seen many liars, one after another that tried to deny the truth with logic and reason rather than admitting what they'd done.

She could see that the grief spreading through Aya Minami was pure, entirely unaware of what she had actually done to the young man she claimed to love. Suddenly, it felt as though _she_ was the evil one. An angel was supposed to be a being of peace, not a being to act as judge and jury.

"Ise _loves_ you Aya." Raynare spoke softly as tears ran down Aya's face with a fastening pace.

"But not enough to tell me the truth…" After wiping at her eyes, Aya hid her face in her hands, speaking through sobs that were difficult to choke back.

"He…should have told me… I never meant to hurt him."

Raynare couldn't take it anymore. She'd only seen the woman this way once, it wasn't pleasant then, and it wasn't pleasant now. The steps between them were quick, wrapping her arms around the rather small figure, Raynare could _feel_ the tension through her entire body.

"He just wants to protect you." Raynare whispered as a hand stroked down her lengthy locks, unrestrained as they usually were when she was off duty.

As this happened, a circle appeared beside Griselda's ear, gold and with a cross in the center surrounded by a crimson outline.

"Hello?" She spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the two in front of her.

The that came through made her stomach drop, more so after what he said.

" _Griselda…where are you?"_

Being who she was, there was nothing she could tell him other than the truth. She had only set out to try and make his life better after what she'd been told. Looking to the woman that he'd proposed to, Griselda had to admit that her first impressions were positive. It brought up a sentiment that Issei had spoken of once before. Did the birth of a _person_ matter over than their deeds? Fallen, devil, human or otherwise, was it not the character of an individual that meant the most?

"I'm… in your home. I'm sorry Issei, I didn't know." That statement encompassed more than just the current situation.

She hadn't known of how he'd become an angel. She didn't know that he'd basically been tortured for the greater good because the Seraphs were concerned about what he could do in their name. She didn't know how his short incarceration had affected the woman he lived with in the long run, the things that he had to deal with on a daily basis.

She didn't know, but that was no excuse.

Griselda would make up for it, just as Gabriel was trying to do. He deserved a fair chance.

She closed the magic circle when she felt a presence outside, shifting slowly and starting to prepare some sort of magic of their own. In a flash, Griselda was at the door, flinging it open so fast that it smashed against the door stop and rushing towards the side where she'd felt the presence.

Coming around the corner and the bushes, she saw a young girl a year or two Issei's junior frantically trying to dismiss the blue magic circle.

Griselda caught her by the collar and was quick to drag her inside.

Too much had been spoken of to let her go without some questions being answered.

The former exorcist wasn't even sure if she struggled, so lost was she in her current thoughts. Before she knew it, she'd been standing in front of the twin tailed girl sitting on the couch, Raynare edging toward the living room with Aya still in her arms.

And then a golden cross with a crimson border appeared.

 **-LineBreak**

The plane had been a fun experience, if not a little scary at first.

Brushing her golden hair away from her eyes, Asia Argento stepped out into the sunny day.

With her suit case dragging behind her, wheel broken and making the entire thing rattle and shake with each step, she made her way into the bustling airport.

Saying that this was the most densely populated area she'd ever encountered wasn't truly saying much, as her entire life had been in near isolation. Even during the sermons where she would heal the sick, Asia was set above and apart from the others.

There had only been one to truly get to know her, and he'd left long ago.

He must have known, her guardian angel, just how undeserving of God's love she was.

Healing a devil on holy ground…

She was stupid. Stupid, airheaded, clumsy, a good for nothing disappointment.

This time in exile was only the beginning, but she _knew_ that she deserved it, _knew_ that it was a trial from the Lord. She had misused his gift to her, and so her suffering and ensuing loneliness was the punishment.

But still… She wished to see him again, apologize for her sin, beg his forgiveness. He'd always been so kind, and she imagined that her guardian angel would offer some sort of guidance. More than that, she just wanted to be near her one and only friend.

Was this another of her sins, wishing for her friend's forgiveness above that of _God's?_

It was. It had to be. And it was just another example of how unworthy she was.

The doors opened with the same _swoosh_ as the others, and the air conditioning gave way to that of a major city, wrought with people and cars and _life._

There was supposed to be someone here to greet her, show her the way toward the church where she could make amends and work herself into the Lord's favor once more. She didn't know how long that would take, but she would endure.

Looking through the thick crowd, none of the signs held were written in her name.

The escort too, seemed to know that she wasn't worth helping. Truly, this was a trial of hardship.

Pulling the withered map from her satchel, Asia pronounced the name of the town she'd be heading to.

"Kuoh."

Whatever trial she was placed in, she'd accept with open arms. It was all because of her mistake.

Turning toward one of the airport staff, one that was wheeling the luggage cart from her own flight, she asked him gently.

"U-ummm… Excuse me sir, where can I find the transportation towards _this_ town?" the small map in her hand had the name circled, which is where she pointed.

"Bus to the far left." He spoke with an accent that was nearly unintelligible to her, but the point had gotten across.

At least she could say she'd been able to find her way on her own…or mostly on her own.

When the door on the old bus closed a few minutes after she took her seat, Asia's mind wandered in directions she'd rather not think on. Her excommunication from the church.

For months she was quarantined as though she was a contagious virus, waiting for a decision to be made about her actions. As the days came and went, she wondered how they were going to kill her. They had called her a witch, and the Lord's punishment for witchcraft was death. Stoning, beheading, burning or hanging. Once the decision came that she was merely to be excommunicated, she had cried in relief, vowing to herself that she would be redeemed. It was only a matter of proving it.


End file.
